On the Brink (Rewrite)
by FunnyGinger08
Summary: So this is the rewrite of On the Brink. It's pretty much what would happen if the San 'Shyuum went extinct, and never created the Covenant. If you wish to flame, at least flame from an account so I can reply back. I don't know if there will be a pairing or not, that will soon be decided.
1. Timeline

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Timeline

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or Mass Effect. Halo's owned by Microsoft and 343 Industries, while Mass Effect is owned by Bioware.

A.N.: Okay, so this is obviously the timeline. I would recommend going through this before reading the actual story since it should make sense. I'm going to try a Codex, not in a whole chapter, but just so you guys can know about the weapons. Also, I would like to give a shout out to Spartan-G257 for helping me write this story.

Prior to 1,000,000 B.C.: The Leviathans create the Catalyst in order to stop synthetics from becoming too powerful and killing all organics; the Catalyst comes to the conclusion that the organics have to be wiped out in a cycle, allowing new races to rise; the Cycle begins with the Catalyst betraying the Leviathans and creating the Reapers

1,000,000 B.C.: The Precursors arrive in the Milky Way Galaxy from the Andromeda Galaxy

975,000 B.C.: They discover the Mass Relays and the Citadel; due to their path being different from what the Reapers planned for the organic races, they make the Citadel into a communications hub, but it is not their command centre

950,000 B.C.: The Reapers start their cycle with the assault on the Citadel; The Precursors fight back effectively since the Citadel was not their command centre; after twenty years, the Reapers admit defeat and retreat into dark space; thinking the Reapers were all killed, the Precursors demilitarize and continue to expand

500,000 B.C.: The Reapers stay hidden in dark space, waiting for the end of the Precursors knowing that they were slowly becoming extinct; the Precursors, knowing they were dying out, conducted tests on two different races in order to see which one would be best for taking up the mantle: Forerunners and Humans

450,000 B.C.: The Precursors come to the conclusion that Humanity is the best race to take up the mantle, and plan to wipe out the Forerunners; the Forerunners learn of this and attack the Precursors; the war is massive, eventually leading to Forerunner victory; the Forerunners destroy all the records of the war, afraid of what would happen if anyone learned the atrocities committed by them to defeat the Precursors

350,000 B.C.: The Human-San 'Shyuum Alliance is created; they become a Tier One-0 species through the use of Precursor artefacts

110,000 B.C.: The Flood is encountered by the Human-San 'Shyuum Alliance; after years of war against the Flood, the Humans decide to invade Forerunner space to get more territory and to escape from the Flood ; The Human-Forerunner War is started; cure for the Flood is invented; the Humans sacrifice a third of their population to destroy the Flood; Forerunners systematically take over Human territory, causing the San 'Shyuum to surrender; the Forerunners reach Charum-Hakkor and after fifty years of fighting, finally conquer it; Human military leaders destroy all information on the Flood as a final act of defiance against the Forerunners; Humans are forced back to being a Tier Seven species and isolated on their home world, while the San 'Shyuum are isolated on their home world with a Forerunner fleet in orbit to prevent them from getting too powerful

98,000 B.C.: The Flood return to the galaxy and attack the Forerunners; due to Forerunner demilitarization and bad tactics, the Flood quickly start to overwhelm them; the Halo Array is created, and tested on the San 'Shyuum home world, wiping out the San 'Shyuum race; Mendicant Bias is created to combat the Flood, but turns against the Forerunners; Offensive Bias is created to combat Mendicant Bias; Mendicant Bias and the Flood attack the Maginot Line in an attempt to stop the firing of the Halo Array; the Halo Array fired, wiping out the Flood and all of the food for the Flood; Offensive Bias defeated Mendicant Bias; the galaxy is repopulated; the Reapers try to find the source of the destructive power, but the defences of the Halo Array are much too strong for them to penetrate.

50,000 B.C.: The Protheans rise as the dominant race in the galaxy, but they fall into the Reapers trap using the Mass Relays and the Citadel; when the Reapers attack, they are quickly devastated, and the Reapers wipe out all evidence of their attack; however, some Protheans survive and come up with a way to defeat the Reapers, the Crucible; they are killed before the plan can be implemented

940 B.C.: The Sangheili become a space-faring species, and quickly expand from their home world

784 B.C.: The Sangheili discover the Lekgolo and form the Covenant with them; the Sangheili also discover that the Humans are the Reclaimers destined to take up the Forerunner Mantle

620 B.C.: The Covenant discovers the purpose of the Halo Array, and quickly eradicates the Flood on the Rings

580 B.C.: The Asari become space-faring and discovers the Mass Relays and the Citadel; they make the Citadel the centre of their empire

520 B.C. (0 GST): The Salarians discover the Mass Relays and the Citadel; they form the Council with the Asari; Galactic Standard Time is also implemented, making the year 0 GST

480 B.C. (40 GST): At Thermopylae, 300 Spartans fight the Persians, inflicting massive casualties but they are defeated after the Persians finding out about a trail behind them and using a pincer attack to surround them and destroy the advantage they had

350 B.C. (170 GST): The Council makes contact with the Volus, and commissions them to make the Unified Banking Act

200 B.C. (310 GST): The Volus are granted an embassy on the Citadel; first contact is made with the Batarians and they are granted an embassy; the Elcor are discovered by the Asari, who help the Elcor find and activate the nearest Mass Relay; the Elcor are later granted an embassy; first contact with the Hanar and the Quarians who are both granted embassies later

1 C.E. (510 GST): The Rachni are discovered when a dormant Mass Relay is discovered; they wage war against the rest of the Galaxy

80 C.E. (589 GST): Rachni Wars continue; the Salarians discover and uplift the primitive Krogans, manipulating them into serving as soldiers for the Council; they prove able to survive the harsh climates of the Rachni worlds

300 C.E. (820 GST): The Rachni are declared extinct; the Council rewards the Krogan with a new home world, where free of the harsh climate on Tuchanka, their population explodes, colonizing many worlds

300-700 C.E. (820-1220 GST): The Krogan expand rapidly, worrying the Council; The Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel

700 C.E. (1220 GST): Krogan Rebellions begin; first contact with the Turians and the Council convince them to fight the Krogans

710 C.E. (1230 GST): Turians unleash the genophage, a Salarian-engineered bio-weapon; Krogan population declines

800 C.E. (1320 GST): Krogan Rebellions end; Citadel Conventions are drawn up

900 C.E. (1420 GST): Turians are granted a seat on the Council

1112 C.E. (1632 GST): The Yanme'e are made members of the Covenant

1342 C.E. (1862 GST): The Kig-Yar are inducted into the Covenant

1600 C.E. (2120 GST): First sightings of the Collectors, which the Council regards as myths

1895 C.E. (2415 GST): The Geth rebel against the Quarians, and kick them off of their home world; after pleading to the Council, the Quarians are denied and kicked off of the Citadel

1961 C.E. (2481 GST): Humanity becomes space-faring

2000 C.E. (2520 GST): First Contact with the Drell is made, and the Hanar conduct an evacuation of their home world, saving their species from extinction

2080 C.E. (2600 GST): Humanity settles on Luna (the moon), the Jovian Moons, and asteroids

2125 C.E. (2645 GST): The Council discover the Yahg, but when the ambassadors are killed, Turians quickly wipe out the Yahg

2142 C.E. (2662 GST): The Unggoy are discovered and inducted into the Covenant

2160 C.E. (2680 GST): The Jovian Moons campaign begins

2170 C.E. (2690 GST): The Jovian Moons campaign ends with victory for the UN when they drop Marines on the capital of Frieden forces; The UEG forms; The Huragok are inducted into the Covenant along with the Jiralhanae

2180-2240 C.E. (2750-2810 GST): Humans rapidly colonize from 2180 to 2230 upon the invention of the Shaw-Fujikawa Trans-light Engine, allowing faster than light travel through Slipspace; their worlds range from Earth, to Reach, to Harvest

2183 C.E.-2186 C.E. (2753-2756 GST): Mass Effect series, except instead of Human Shepard, it's a Turian version of Shepard

2190 C.E. (2760 GST): The Insurrection is started

2195 C.E. (2765 GST): Spartan-I project is initiated

2205 C.E. (2775 GST): Spartan-1 Project is considered a failure and the Spartan-II project is initiated

2218 C.E. (2788 GST): The first class of Spartan-IIs has finished their training, and are promptly sent to the frontlines

2220 C.E. (2790 GST): The Spartan-II project has been a great success and the next class of Spartan-IIs starts training

2224 C.E. (2794 GST): Spartan-III program is initiated

2232 C.E. (2802 GST): Alpha Company of the Spartan-III program has finished training and starts to conduct missions against the Insurrectionists

2233 C.E. (2803 GST): Alpha Company has proven to be a success, and Beta Company starts to train

2235 C.E. (2805 GST): A joint Spartan-II, Spartan-III, and ODST attack on Eridanus-II succeeds in capturing Colonel Watts, a local Insurrectionist leader, and destroying a major Insurrectionist base; 50 Spartan-III's are killed providing a rearguard action for the rest of the attacking force as they escaped from the base under heavy fire

2236 C.E. (2806 GST): Insurrectionists under command of General Howard Graves commence a full out assault on Eridanus II and Reach from Eridanus Secundus; the attack on Reach fails, but they succeed on Eridanus II; they seize control of the planet except for Elysium City which remained in control of the UNSC and CMA; Marines, ODSTs, active Spartan-Is, Spartan-IIs, and Spartan-IIIs assault Insurrectionist positions, killing thousands of Insurrectionists, while in space, the UNSC Battle Group Roosevelt (led by the Marathon-class heavy cruiser _Franklin D. Roosevelt_) battled against the Insurrection fleet; after sixteen hours of battle, the Insurrection fleet is destroyed upon the arrival of Battle Group Spring (led by the Halcyon-class light cruiser _Pillar of Spring_); with the Insurrectionist fleet destroyed, the Insurrectionists were outgunned, outnumbered, and no chance of support when more battle groups arrived in system; two weeks after the start of the battle, Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs assaulted the headquarters of General Howard Graves in Luxor; Graves was killed by a shot to the head from John-117, more commonly known as Master Chief or Chief; mop-up operations against the Rebels were conducted with minimal casualties

2240 C.E. (2810 GST): After four years of mopping up what remained of the Insurrectionists as over 70% of them joined for the assault on Eridanus II and Reach, the Insurrection is declared finish and control of the government is handed back to the UEG from the UNSC

2241 C.E. (2811 GST): First Contact between Humanity and the Covenant is made; Upon realizing that they made First Contact with the Reclaimers, the Sangheili ask Humanity to join the Covenant; not wanting to join a Hegemony, they decline, causing the Covenant to do whatever it takes to get the Reclaimers to join; the Systems Alliance is established, with each race having equal say

2250 C.E. (2820 GST): Plasma technology is introduced to Humanity, but they prefer ballistics, though plasma weapons are installed on Scorpion Main Battle Tanks, Grizzly Main Battle Tanks, M12 Force Application Vehicles (Warthog), Longswords and Sabres, vessels, and the Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform is invented as a force multiplier and is mass produced; The Alliance Space Command (ASC) is created

2300 C.E. (2870 GST): New findings of Forerunner artefacts, including a Keyship, allow them to discover the Ark and to make the wait on MAC and plasma weapons to be ready to fire 50% shorter; Spartan-IV project is initiated; the project only accepts adults who have proven themselves in combat and previous Spartans, including Spartan-Is; Osprey dropships are created, and replace the Pelican dropships used by the ASC Army while the Osprey and Pelican are still used by the ASC Navy and Marine Corps

2340 C.E. (2910 GST): The Systems Alliance Parliament and Headquarters is moved to the Ark, which is guarded by ten fleets, including the original Forerunner Keyship, and two recreations made by the Systems Alliance; Joint Species Operations Command (JSOC) is created; JSOC is the overseer of all joint operations conducted between the species in the Systems Alliance

2345 C.E. (2915 GST): Alliance Special Operations (ASO) is created, which has the best of the best from all species' Special Operators, mainly special operators from the Sangheili and Humans, with the Brutes having a small detachment as well, while Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e, and Huragok provide support; ASO is divided into seven tiers, with the seventh tier, designated N7, the highest tier (Tier One, or N1, is forces with Airborne qualifications; Tier Two, or N2, is dropship assault and Airborne qualifications; Tier Three, or N3, is Ranger (based of the U.S. Army Rangers) qualifications or the Green ODST's (although no ODST is Green its reserved for those ODST's who have not been in service for very long); Tier Four, N4, is the average Tier for ODST's, Covenant Rangers, and Marine Force Recon; Tier Five, N5, is for the most Veteran of ODST's, Covenant Rangers, Marine Force Recon, Elite Majors, and Green Spartans (same as green ODST's); Tier Six, N6, is the standard tier for Spartans, Elite Special Operations, and Jiralhanae Special Forces; Tier Seven, N7, is the best of the best; Only the most elite Spartans, Elites, and Jiralhanae can make it into N7; only thirty Spartans, including the Spartan-II Blue Team, the Spartan Noble Team, and the Spartan-IV Crimson and Majestic Teams have made it through N7; even if you're only a N1, it's still a great honour since they had to go through the most intensive training and had to have been part of the Armed forces for years and to have done some pretty amazing Things.

2350 C.E. (2920 GST): Joint colonies are made by the Systems Alliance, including Shanxi, Eden Prime, and Akuze

2360 C.E. (2930 GST): Story starts


	2. The Artifact

On the Brink: Rewrite

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or Mass Effect, Microsoft is owned by 341 Industries and Microsoft, while Bioware owns Mass Effect. Also, I want to give a shout out to Spartan-G257 for betaing (how would you say that?) this chapter.

Quote: ' A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.' Ayn Rand

-May 29, 2360-

Captain James Cutter, the CO of the ASC (Alliance Space Command)_Spirit of Fire_ and Task Force Macabre, watched the monitors showing the status of the Task Force as it patrolled around the Shanxi system. The Task Force was made up of two light Corvettes, the_Pony _Express and the _Charger_, a heavy Corvette, the _Hit and Run_, two Paris-class heavy Frigates, the _Okinawa_ and the _Peleliu_, a Destroyer, the _Iroquois_, and his ship, the modified Phoenix-class colony ship, the _Spirit of Fire_, which were guarding the Professor-class research vessel, the _Harvard_. They were in the Shanxi system due to an unknown artefact that the scientists had already confirmed was not Forerunner in design.

The artefact had been discovered by the _Harvard_ when they were inspecting the ice moon of Shanxi when they discovered unusual energy readings from it. This led to the discovery of the artefact, and the Task Force had been sent in to guard them.

Cutter sighed, somewhat wishing to go back to the old days when he commanded a combat vessel during combat. Even though he loved peace, he had to admit that guarding a research ship was somewhat boring. He sighed again; thinking of the first ship he commanded, ironically the ship was the _Pony Express_, which he commanded during an extraction of the Spartan and ODST assault on Eridanus Secundus. After that, he had commanded a Frigate, the _Kabul_ during an assault on New Harmony, and the repelling of the Insurrectionists on Eridanus II.

He had been given command of the _Illini_ to patrol around Harvest and Madrigal for any remaining Insurrectionists. Amazingly, all of the Insurrectionists had banded together to fight at Eridanus II, and none escaped, so the patrolling was relatively unexciting. Then he had been given command of the _Sprit of Fire_ for this mission, along with the promotion to Captain.

"Atticus, is there anything new in the reports from the Task Force?" James Asked

Atticus, the AI for the _Spirit of Fire_, popped onto his pedestal. His avatar, which looked like Atticus Finch from the centuries-old book _To Kill a Mockingbird_, pulled out a clipboard and looked at it.

He said," The scientists from the _Harvard_ has something new in their report. They say that they have determined the artefact is a type of FTL device, but they don't know where it goes or how it uses FTL since it doesn't appear to use our type of FTL. The scientists and Calypso are trying to figure out how to activate the artefact. Also, Commander Jacob Keyes on the _Iroquois_ appears to be anxiously waiting for Task Force Vandal to arrive in system. I believe he is bored, sir."

Cutter sighed, and looked at the screen of reports in front of him. It showed a picture of the artefact encased in the ice moon, and he thought it looked like a fork. The reports also showed that Commander Keyes was indeed bored of this assignment, and that the CO of the_Pony Express_ was following his orders, and staying near the back of the system with the _Okinawa_ in case of an emergency.

He said," Very well, put in a request to transfer Keyes and the_Iroquois_ with Zheng and the _Illini_. And tell them of the scientists' findings, as well."

Atticus nodded his head, and said," Done. Is that all, sir?"

Cutter nodded, and Atticus disappeared. He sighed, thinking about the COs of the vessels in the Task Force. Commander Keyes was an excellent officer and tactician, but he was addicted to the fight, the rush he gets, and so he was easily bored on this assignment. Cutter thought he was making the right choice to let him go, since he would be no help with the mission going through the artefact in a rush of boredom, without any support from the rest of the Task Force.

Lieutenant Commander Jordan Wright was the CO of the heavy Corvette_Hit and Run_, and he was patient and methodical. Any move he made had been calculated for all contingencies. Lieutenant Commanders Mason Warrick and Antoine Baker the COs of the _Pony _Express and Charger respectively, were the same way, and had proven themselves in battle before.

Commander Andrew Dobson was the CO of the _Peleliu_, which he had commanded for five months out of his seven month command of the Paris-class Frigate, and he had proven himself as a capable leader. Dianna Newport, CO of the _Okinawa,_ was a capable leader, and after the month was over, she would be taking command of the famed_Gorgon_. Cutter couldn't be happier with any of the commanders in the Task Force.

He sighed again, thinking about the mission and how he was approached for it.

-Flashback-

_**Cutter had just been back from a combat mission against Insurrectionists that were causing problems near the Jovian Moons, and was at a bar on Earth after a debriefing at HIGHCOM in Sydney. He had been debriefed by Captain David Anderson and Rear Admiral Steven Hackett, and had decided to get a classic Bud Light at the 'Patriot's Bar', when Anderson and Hackett sat on either side of him. **_

_**They both ordered the same as him when Hackett said," Captain, you're a good man. But that mission against the Insurrectionists made ONI want your blood. You had a MAC blow up the facility they wanted to take intact with their strike team. Granted, there was gunfire coming from the building against the ODST's on the ground, but ONI doesn't care. So, in order for you to not go to jail, I made a deal with ONI. A research vessel in the Shanxi System discovered an unknown Artefact inside of the ice moon orbiting one of the planets there. It's not Forerunner in design, and they've been researching it for a week. **_

_**Admiral Hood gave me a job of putting together a Battle Group for the protection of the vessel. I already have the Battle Group put together, as well as the plan, but I need good Commanders since we don't know what the Artefact will do. I want you in the Battle Group, as a Captain, and commanding the ASC **Spirit of Fire**. You know what it is. What do you say?"**_

_**James took a minute to think about it, before saying," I'm in. What's the plan?"**_

_**With that, Admiral Hackett smiled and dove into the plan. The plan called for the Task Force to be divided into three Task Forces, with Hackett commanding one of the Battlegroup and the Marathon-class Cruiser **Prophecy**, Anderson commanding a second Task Force from the Halcyon-class Cruiser **Pillar of Spring**, and Cutter would be commanding Task Force Macabre from the **Spirit of Fire**. They would switch shifts every two weeks.**_

Cutter looked up at the reports screen when it beeped, and widened his eyes at what he saw. The _Harvard_'s crew had discovered what powered the Artefact and how to activate it. According to the reports, the Artefact was powered by a relatively unknown element, called Element Zero which had been recently discovered on Mars. The Artefact would be activated by a code, which according to the scientists, would be a massive spike of energy near the Artefact. This could be achieved by firing a MAC or energy projector near the Artefact.

Atticus appeared on his pedestal and said," I already anticipated what you would say. Message has been sent to HIGHCOM for permission to activate the Artefact, General Williams on Shanxi has been alerted, the Task Force has been alerted, and the ships that could end up going through the Artefact has been chosen."

Cutter stared at the AI, then said," Okay, Atticus. Nice to know I do the same things all the time."

Atticus smiled, and said," Only during peacetime, sir."

Cutter sighed, and dismissed the AI. Was it possible for AI's to get cheeky, or was that a trait just for Atticus? He looked over the ships that Atticus had chosen to send through the Artefact, and wasn't surprised to see the _Iroquois_ and the _Spirit of Fire_, as well as the _Hit and Run_ for speed if it's needed in the system.

Cutter sent the confirmation message to Atticus, who forwarded the reply from HIGHCOM, which confirmed that they would be going through the Artefact. He sighed, and said," Bridge, prepare to go through the Artefact. We leave when the Artefact is clear." A message to the _Harvard_, and they had sent the code, with an ETA of two hours before the ice cleared from the Artefact.

He sighed, and wondered what would be on the other side, Aliens? Planets that could be colonized? A new way to travel from system to system? There were many possibilities, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to guess them all. A beep from the monitor in front of him alerted him to the fact that the ice had cleared, and checking his watch, was surprised to see that it had been two hours.

Atticus popped on his pedestal, and said," Sir, the _Iroquois_and the _Hit and Run_ are ready to go."

Cutter nodded, and said," Let's go."

As the three vessels going through the Artefact, Cutter looked at the Artefact, and saw that it was turning, somewhat like a whisk. But his thoughts were distracted when electricity struck the vessels, and after ten seconds, they disappeared.

The first Humans had gone through the Artefact.


	3. Update

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Author's Note

Okay, this is just to tell you guys that I fixed the second chapter. Yesterday I accidently posted the chapter from the original On the Brink, instead of the Rewrite's chapter. Sorry for any confusion, but it's fixed now, so it should be better.


	4. Update 2

On the Brink

Author's Note

Sorry, but I'm thinking of abandoning this story, or at the very least putting it on hiatus. I have way too many story ideas in my head to continue this, although this will probably be replaced by a HP/Halo/ME fanfiction instead of just Halo/Mass Effect. The cause of this is that I read a HP/ME/Halo fanfic that hasn't been updated in a while, but it was an amazing start, so I'm going to ask the author of the story, called "The Magic Effect" if I can make my own version. If the author says no, this story will still be on hiatus so I can work on "Not What They Expected", since I'm having issues writing a space battle for this story. But anyway, I'll probably do a couple of updates, one at the least, during Christmas Break when I don't have to worry about Finals, which I should really be studying for, but I know nearly all of the material already (already finished the study guides a couple of my teachers gave me (they're really cool teachers). So yeah, updates for this story won't be for another two weeks or so. Sorry.


	5. The Council's Reaction

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Don't own. If I did, would I really be making fanfictions about these two games?

A.N.: Just want to give a shouts out to all of the fans who were nice enough to review, favorite, or follow my story. Also, I have decided that although there will be a F/F pairing, it will not be an integral part of the story, as it will just be a way to relieve stress and just to take comfort. Don't know if there will be any real pairings at all until things start to come to a close in this story. This chapter will just show why the Council has decided to invade Shanxi in my story, instead of the rash attack by Arterius it was a rash attack by Actus that started the war, but the Council continues it instead of stopping it in this one.

Quote: Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it. ~Albert Einstein

" The Council is, in my personal belief, cowardly. During the attack on the Citadel by the Geth and the Reaper known as Sovereign, they didn't do anything to motivate their troops, or motivate the civilians who were being attacked in the Wards by the Geth that they wouldn't all die. Instead, they hid on the _Destiny Ascension_, the biggest ship in the fleet which was outgunned by the Reaper. And the _Destiny Ascension_ which would've been a massive help against the Reaper and prevent needless casualties, the Dreadnought was forced to not engage as the Reaper wrecked the Defense Fleet and tried to start a massive invasion of Citadel Space by the Reapers. It was only the luck of the Quarian War Fleet, which had been commencing attacks on the Geth behind the Perseus Veil, arrived when they did and barraged the Geth, allowing the Citadel Defense Fleet to focus on Sovereign, who was wounded from possessing Galus Virtumis, who had been the one behind all of the attacks. I watched thousands die during the Geth ground assault, which was only stopped thanks to Quarian forces again, while they assaulted the Wards. Many of the deaths were caused by the civilians not wanting to fight back, believing that the Council had abandoned them to save themselves, to defend the Council from the Geth. After all, who wants to fight an enemy to save people who abandoned them when it most counted?"

Comment from unknown C-SEC officer on cowardiness of Council

Councilor Tevos stood in her office, looking out of the window in her office down at the Presidium below her, watching as the people who lived on the Citadel went about their daily lives. The Asari Councilor thought of the decision that had been made in the Chambers less than six hours ago, where she supported the idea that could potentially bring the Council and its territory, along with all of its citizens, to its knees, or enslave an entire race to the Turians, who she knew would force the race to never achieve space flight again if the Council fleet won the battle. And judging from the looks of both Valern, the Salarian Councilor, and Sparatus, her Turian counterpart, they were surprised at her judgment, with the additional emotion of betrayal being shown on Valern's face before he got it under control. Tevos knew why Valern felt betrayed, considering that she was always the one who advocated peace, and Valern usually supported her as he felt that peacetime would gain additional time to get information before any aggressive actions had to be taken, making the upcoming results more on the side of the Council. Sparatus had undisguised glee on his face, knowing that with Tevos's support, his pride would come back after having one of his fleets soundly defeated by eight ships, from a newcomer no less. When they had left the Chambers, Valern had followed her to her officer, where he confronted her after declining a drink of an Asari version of Batarian ale.

Valern, ever the former STG operative, wasted no time in getting information," Why did you vote for a fleet to attack these newcomers? Actus even said in the report that he attacked first, and that the aliens, which although were bristling with weaponry, had even attempted to send a message to them, which turned out to be a First Contact message."

Tevos replied," And they showed warfare, creatures of unimaginable warfare, death, and destruction. It's obvious that they were heralding our destruction by their hands. We need to stop them now."

Valern, who had studied the message that had been sent intensively with the other two Councilors, looked at her incredulously, and said," Did you not see the pictures of them waving, and obviously saying hello. Even Sparatus agreed that they wanted peace, but were showing them their history, which he said is too savage for him to think that their future could be peaceful and that they needed to be guided. What is wrong with you, Councilor?"

Valern had ended his words with a shout, and Tevos shouted right back," They have the capability to kill us! Even the mighty Citadel wouldn't be able to stand up to them as they bring troops in on the ground! From those images, it's obvious that their military prowess rivals even the Turians! We must stop them now! Before they kill us all!"

In a quieter voice, she whispered," Before they kill me."

Valern stared at her again, and when realization struck him, said," So that's it? You're condemning a species to not even being able to guide its own path because you're afraid that they could potentially kill us? Even though they showed peaceful intentions through their message, and only fired back after one of their ships was destroyed! I thought the Asari were supposed to be prepared for death, and after all of those attempts on our life from the Sons of Palaven, the Reapers, and the Geth, along with the Children of Rannoch, and you fear death? As soon as this meeting is over with, I'm going to contact the Matriarchs back on Thessia so they can remove you from your position!"

With that Valern stood up, ready to storm out of the room, but two of the Asari Commandos who were guarding her room, appeared in the doorway, pointing their rifles at him. Valern looked at them in shock, not having known that the families the squad of Commandos came from were loyal to Tevos for giving them money to survive a terrible crop shortages. He turned pasty white when one of them pulled out a chip, as he knew what it was. Tevos knew the story of the chip as well, and it wasn't pretty.

The Salarians, working with both Asari and Turians, had attempted to make a chip that could be injected into the Krogans and any other troublesome species, like the Batarians, to make them into loyal subjects to the Council. But as mass production started in the chip, which had worked on the first test subject, a Krogan Warlord, the Children of Rannoch had stormed the research facility, believing that the chip would be the key to defeating the Geth and taking back their homeworld. The attack was repulsed, but the Asari, knowing the dangers of such a project being taken by terrorists, had taken the chips to a secure location, guarded by elite Asari Commandos, with a small battle group completely devoted to guarding the warehouse from orbit, prepared to bombard the warehouse if needed.

But Tevos, using the connections she had, managed to procure a small percentage of the chips and had it moved to several different locations, including the Citadel, Thessia, Omega, Illium, and other planets. She had Asari scientists who were loyal to her change the nature of the chips, as mind control was disgusting to her, into a device that could wipe out a specific memory, which she was going to use on Valern. He would remember having a conversation with her, and he would believe that he had come to the conclusion that she was still wrong, but would assist with the war effort in whatever way was needed. When the chip was applied, and Valern was sitting back in the chair and the Commandos outside her officer, Tevos watched as Valern stood up and left the office, unaware of what had truly transpired.

As Valern closed the door, the Asari Councilor sighed, knowing that Valern was right in some aspects. But how could Tevos not be afraid? After nearly being slaughtered by the Geth and the Reaper known as Sovereign while absolutely unable to do anything on the _Ascension Destiny_, after nearly being killed during the dual attack from both the Children of Rannoch and the Sons of Palaven, and the final Reaper assault on Thessia, how could she not fear death? She just couldn't die yet, not when she still had around a hundred years left to live and make the galaxy a better place for everyone. Tevos, tired from the ordeal in the Chambers and the confrontation with Valern, left the office and told the Commandos that she was going to sleep in the room that had been put aside for sleeping in case of late nights. As she fell asleep on the comfortable bed, she only hoped that she had made the right choice.

General Desolas Arterius stood in the CIC of his ship, one of the new Dreadnoughts that had been created after the Reaper Wars, the _Burning Asunder_. He looked out of the view port, and saw the massive Citadel, home to the Council. Looking around, he could see the fleet that was being assembled from ships around Council space, most of them Frigates being recalled from patrol fleets, or a Cruiser from a system defense fleet. Arterius turned away from the viewing port, and put his attention on the omnitool in his hands, which contained the briefing for this important mission.

He had already read it multiple times, but the General still couldn't believe that the Council was reacting this way, especially Councilor Tevos, the Asari Councilor. The briefing contained information from a patrol fleet, under command of a fellow Turian named Captain Tonn Actus, who had been a pirate before the Reaper Wars, when he joined the Hierarchy's military to help in the fight. In the briefing, it told them of a new species activating a Mass Relay, known as Relay 314, and going through the Relay. Following the Council's Laws, Actus had engaged the fleet, taking the smallest ship, the size of a small Frigate, out, before the rest of the so-called Lawbreaker fleet, consisting of three ships, now two with one of them destroyed, opened fire on Actus's fleet. Within the first minute, only Actus's Dreadnought, one of his three Cruisers, and two of his Frigates remained able to fight.

Two of his Frigates and a Cruiser were dead in space, and by the time relief came, everyone on board those three ships who didn't make it to the escape pods were dead. Arterius, who had once been rash during his days as a Captain of a Frigate before the Reaper Wars, had gone over the battle reports and the information one of his former subordinates in the Special Operations Unit, Blackwatch, had sent him. The reports and information showed that the engagement had been done against ships never seen before, and that during the battle, his subordinate's ship had been hacked, overpowering their own VI dedicated to electronic warfare. And after the opening salvo of rounds, both ships had gone back to their own territory through the Relay, although not before completely destroying the ship that had been taken out by Actus. This was obviously to keep any possible information from falling into enemy hands, a move that only someone experienced in warfare, like many of the fleet commanders in this period of time, would do.

Shaking his head at the foolishness of the Council for declaring war on these newcomers on the galactic scale due to breaking a Law, a Law that was impossible for them to know about. Granted the Law was important and created for a reason, but Arterius saw it as useless to punish someone who had no idea the dangers of activating Dormant Relays. And judging from the way the newcomers had destroyed a Turian patrol fleet, Arterius believed that the newcomers had no reason to fear something like the Rachni Wars, not with the firepower available to them. According to the battle reports, the newcomers had their own version of the Thanix and Mass Accelerator Cannons, but they weren't powered by Eezo, which puzzled him. Nearly everything used Eezo, or Element Zero, despite attempts by the Council to find ways to decrease the need for element zero, as it was costly to find and produce. These attempts were disastrous, especially when they tried to build a Frigate powered by an alternative energy source. All hands on the Frigate were lost, along with half of the crew of a Dreadnought that was near it. Arterius shook his head to clear his thoughts and to focus on the briefings and reports so he would know what the enemy was like.

Flipping towards one of the ending reports from an STG stealth ship, he read the reports from it, as it had managed to get to the other side of the Relay using an alternate means of FTL, taking seven hours using the reverse-engineered Reaper technology that the Salarians were beginning to add to their stealth ships. The STG ship managed to get seven hourly reports in, before all reports stopped, after reporting that they may have been discovered by the aliens. This worried Arterius, as part of his battle plan, standard procedure that had been adopted during the Reaper War, would use the STG stealth ships assigned to him to lay down mines near the aliens, detonate them before the main fleet went through the Relay, and use shock and awe, an effective tactic, especially with the ships at his disposal, to take the planet quickly and begin operations against the newcomers. Even though he didn't like it, he had his orders, and so he would follow them to the letter.

He turned towards one of his bridge officers who had came up to him, and asked," Yes, Lieutenant?"

"General, sir. All ships have arrived, and are ready to go through the Relay. We just need you to give the go ahead."

Arterius nodded, and said," Alright, Lieutenant. Have Octavius take us through the Relay behind the _Destiny Ascension_. Once we're through, we'll split the fleet in half, with one half staying back to provide any assistance necessary, and to begin the offensive against these newcomers once this planet is ours."

The Lieutenant, named Augustus, nodded his head in affirmative, and said," Yes, General. And sir, is it true that we're going against newcomers so? The Council does know that there's no way they could know the dangers of activating Dormant Mass Relays right?"

Arterius sighed, and said," I know, Lieutenant. But the Council wants to show everyone, especially the Batarians, that this is the one law they will not tolerate broken. It's just bad luck that this particular race is the one that was caught in the act of activating a Dormant Relay. Anyway, Lieutenant. We're soldiers, and we have our orders. Let's follow them."

The Lieutenant nodded again, saluted, and went back to his station to relay his orders. Arterius sighed again, and patted his hip, where in his old days as a Blackwatch operative, he would've had a pistol holstered there. But his time as a ship commander had made him soft, due to little or no combat situations until the Reaper War, and then it was mostly space battles with no ground fighting unless if a ship was forced to ground during a battle, or a naval officer was caught on the ground at the start of a fight. Arterius shook his head again, and made a mental note to ask one of the guards outside the CIC for a pistol in case they were boarded.

The Turian turned back to the viewport, and watched as the first battle group, in the newly named Fleet of Consequences, so-named to show the galaxy why they were mobilizing against a race that was just introduced to the galactic scene, went through the Relay to join Actus's patrol fleet. He watched as his own ship went through the Relay, and as they came out on the other side, he let his eyes look at the largest fleet that the Council had assembled since the Reaper War.

This fleet, numbering at four hundred and fifty-two strong, was an awesome sight to Arterius, although some may find it fearsome if they were on the receiving end of it. Of the four hundred and fifty-two ships, sixty-one of them were Dreadnoughts, including his own _Burning Asunder_, a hundred-and-twenty of them were Cruisers, and the rest were Frigates and the new Destroyers, which were designed to the firepower of Cruisers, and the maneuverability of a Frigate. Of course it didn't work out that way, but if a Destroyer with a good commander went one on one against a Cruiser, the Destroyer would come out on top. With this fleet and firepower, the Turian knew that the Council wanted this to send a very deep message to the newcomers, and the rest of the Galaxy, that things like this would not be tolerated.

He focused his attention on the new orders being sent in from the Council, and saw that he had orders to hold his fleet over the newcomer's planet, and wait to see if there are potentially any more planets or if they had just started space flight off of their homeworld. The Council, STG, and Spectres believed that the aliens' homeworld was on the other side of the Relay, and that it would be an easy victory as they didn't have many ships. Arterius wondered how smart the intelligence services actually were, as the information didn't make sense at all. If they had just gotten off of their homeworld, he doubted that they would have built warships powerful enough to win in a 1-7 fight against a patrol fleet, especially one with two Dreadnoughts. If anything, this new race had dealt with war on a massive scale, multiple times, to build warships that large. And if that monstrous Dreadnought was just on an exploration fleet, he dreaded what they had guarding their homeworld.

Hearing footsteps, the Turian General turned to see one of his officers run up, and say," Sir, fleet is ready to go through Relay 314 and hit the enemy."

"Very well. Issue the green light to all ships."

The officer nodded, and ran off back to his post, and Arterius decided to go and get a pistol from the armory as it would take an hour for the fleet to begin mobilizing. When he walked outside of the CIC, two of the guards outside left their squad and followed him down to the armory where he talked the armory officer into giving him a pistol, a M-77 Paladin. He smiled at the familiar weight of the Paladin in his hands, and remembered his service on the ground as a Blackwatch officer carrying a M-8 Avenger and the Paladin down on Tuchanka fighting against a Turian Warlord who was gaining too much power, or hunting down members of the Turian supremacy group, the Children of Palaven. The former Blackwatch officer holstered the pistol after touching up on his pistol skills, which he was proud to see hadn't diminished over time, and left the armory and went back to the CIC, with twenty minutes or so before the fleet went through the Relay.

Twenty minutes later, he watched as the first battle group went through the Relay, followed by two more, then it was his Dreadnought's turn to go through the Relay with its attached battle group. As the _Burning Asunder_ went through the Relay, he couldn't help but feel that the battle wouldn't turn out well.

" The Council has continuously made blunder after blunder. First, they make a Law against activating Dormant Relays. This Law, made for good reason at the time, has become obsolete in the times of today. The Law has kept many new planets from being found for people to colonize or move to, and now overcrowding is starting to affect planets, especially Thessia, Palaven, and the other homeworlds of the Council races. And even after all of the appeals from Ambassasdors to have this Law repealed, or at least to allow some Relays be activated, the Council continues to keep this Law active. The second blunder, is that they haven't cured the genophage for the Krogans, who during the Reaper Wars, were invaluable in stopping the Reapers, even though they had no reason to help a government that had forced them to go nearly extinct and continue living on the wastelands of Tuchanka. Their third blunder was not recognizing the Quarians for their efforts in stopping the Reapers. The Quarians managed to salvage the situation with the Geth, after realising that there were bad Geth, known as Heratics and the ones waging war, and good Geth, Geth who wanted peace with their Creators. After the Reaper War, the Council refused to give the Quarian an Embassy, and even continue hunting the Geth. Both races are currently behind the Perseus Veil, with only certain traders and ships passing through to either side. Reports indicate that both races are living peacefully on Rannoch, and have even started to expand within the Perseus Veil. And the fifth blunder is not doing anything about the Batarians, still. For Goddesses' sake, the Batarians worked with the Reapers to eradicate the rest of us, believing that the Reapers would spare them. And after the war, the Batarians go right back to being slavers, with nothing but a slap of the wrist. If things continue to be this way, we will be stagnant with no advancements for a real, long time. Possibly for the rest of our days."

Dr. Liara T'soni, political scientist and important archaeologist studying the Prothens and Reapers, on the Council


	6. Invasion of Shanxi (Part One)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Halo nor am I making money off of this fanfiction**

**A.N.: So last chapter might've pissed a few of you guys off, but that was just what the Turian Commander thought of this and how the Council is pretty much the bad guys, instead of Arterius like in the other fanfics where they portray Arterius as a major dick. Don't worry though, this chapter has combat. I would like to give a shout out to Andrithir for going over this chapter for me, and if you haven't read any of his stories, you should.**

**Quote: We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. -Winston Churchill**

* * *

_"The ASC is the military arm of the Systems Alliance. This decision is prudent, as every species that makes up the Systems Alliance has a history of warfare, so much that not only do military and government leaders believe there is a likelihood of hostile First Contact, but civilians do too. There are many examples out there looking at the Forerunners' history and our own as well. Like the Flood, who had caused the Forerunners to disappear and fire the Halo Array to keep the Flood from winning. Or the Precursors even, who Forerunner artifacts show hints and whispers of a Forerunner-Precursor War. With all of these potential hostile races, who knows what would happen during a First Contact. The ASC was created to make sure that a First Contact wouldn't get out of hand, like the Flood just taking planet after planet with us not being able to do anything. And that is why I agree with the Alliance's decision to make a military arm."_

_-Essay by unknown Human third-grader on Luna_

* * *

-Shanxi System, May 30, 2360-

Captain James Cutter stood in the bridge of the _Spirit of Fire_, holding position next to one of the Orbital Defense Platforms (ODP). He kept his eyes on the Artifact, which he knew was called the Relay due to the hacking of the alien ships by Selena, the AI dedicated to electronic warfare. Atticus was on his pedestal next to him, talking about the damage that the _Spirit of Fire_ and the _Iroquois_ had received during the engagement against the alien fleet. The _Spirit_ was undamaged, although its shields were at 30%, but the _Iroquois_ had taken massive damage during the engagement. Its shields were down, and the hull had been breached in several decks. Luckily they had been sealed quickly, minimizing the casualties to twenty dead and sixty wounded. The _Iroquois_ wouldn't be able to handle another hit from the aliens' cannons, known as Mass Accelerators or Thanix Cannons. Luckily, Cutter still had the rest of his battle group except for the _Hit and Run_, which had taken two hits from the aliens' cannons before it could escape the battle. Luckily, the _Hit and Run_, equipped with a Mini-MAC had managed to take down one of the ships before it was destroyed. And the _Harvard_ had successfully exited the system, bound for the science fleet located at Installation 03. As Atticus finished his report, Cutter turned to look at the AI.

"Prep firing solutions for all ships on the Relay. These aliens, they're going to be coming through to take revenge and most likely to punish us for breaking one of their Laws, as they're history shows that they have a habit of doing this. Anyway, we need to hold out long enough for Drescher's Second Fleet to arrive, or keep them off of the planet as long as we can."

Atticus nodded, and said," Firing solutions for all ships are ready, Captain, and I have alerted Willy Pete, the AI who controls the ODPs, of the fact that he needs to stay online as long as possible, and he has responded by putting ODP defenses at 100% and requesting Williams to have a regiment guard his generators, and a company on each ODP."

"Very good. Speaking of Williams, I need to ask him how things are going on the ground."

Atticus set up a video call to Williams, and Cutter asked," How are things going on the ground, General?"

Williams looked at a screen next to the one that had Cutter on it, and when he looked back, said," Good. The evacuation is 80% complete, and there is no one making a fuss about the evacuation, as they know what's going on from the two practice evacuations we already did after the discovery of the Artifact. My Marines have taken key positions throughout Shanxi, and Colonel Leveret's got air support ready to go. Mass Drivers are ready to engage the aliens as well, Captain. How are things up in space?"

"We're as ready as we'll ever be General. Estimation for holding out is anywhere from an hour to sixteen depending on how many ships they mobilize against us. We have the advantage though, and you should have enough time for the evacuation to finish and have everything set up on the ground."

Williams nodded, and said," Sorry to cut this short Captain, but I have to talk to one of my Colonels. Good luck up there. Williams out."

Cutter watched as the connection cut, just as Atticus said," Sir, the Relay is showing signs of usage."

The Captain turned to look at the Relay, and saw that it was indeed showing the signs of usage. He watched as first four, then eight, then twelve, and eventually two hundred and twenty-six ships, with the sleek design of the alien ships except for the two ships that looked like squids, exited the Relay. The ships arranged themselves in what he assumed was an attack formation, with the two squids in front of the entire fleet. It was after a couple of seconds and they didn't open fire, when Cutter decided to try and broker a peace, at least temporarily.

He said," Comms, send the First Contact package, and send a message of peace as well. I want this war to end before it starts."

The communications officer, Lieutenant Nathaniel Hall, said," Yes, sir," and sent the message along with the First Contact package.

The whole bridge crew waited with bated breath to see what the alien's reaction would be, but seconds later, Atticus yelled out," Alien ships are powering up their weapons. They're going to fire!"

And his sentence came true barely a second later, as two lances of red left both of the squid looking ships, and went towards his battle group. Both of them hit the _Iroquois_ due to Keyes maneuvering it in front of the beams, which with no shields left, took them both on its hull. The beams pierced through the hull, hitting the reactors, causing an explosion to rock the Destroyer, and only three escape pods and a dropship left the Destroyer before it exploded.

"My God." Hall muttered, he was caught off that one of their own ships had just been destroyed that quickly, but readied himself to issue orders.

Cutter, mouth shaped in a frown at the loss of a ship and holding his emotions back, barked out," Tell all ships to engage. Michaels, follow the firing solutions that Atticus prepared. Atticus, let Selena loose."

As Lieutenant Julia Michaels said," Yes, sir," she powered up the two MAC cannons that the _Spirit of Fire_ wielded, along with Archer Missile Pods A-D. Atticus meanwhile disappeared from his pedestal to alert the Electronic Warfare AI, Selena, that she was authorized to hack and destroy as many ships as she could. With much glee, Selena did just that, taking down ten ships in a minute, before having to retreat due to one of the VIs having overpowered her after she was weakened by the other VIs. When Michaels and the weapons officers of the rest of the Task Force had their MACs online, and the ODPs were ready to fire, each one fired at the alien fleet. Both MAC rounds from the _Spirit of Fire_ hit one of the squid-looking ships, with the first round taking out the shields and the second round hitting its weapon, causing an explosion to go through the ship. It wasn't destroyed though; a problem fixed by the Archer missiles that had been fired as well hit the ship, known as a Reaper from what Selena learned on her latest hacking spree of the enemy ships. The Archer missiles had punched a hole straight through its hull, and hit what was known as an eezo core. The core ruptured and exploded enveloping two other ships in its fiery wave.

The rest of the Task Force that had engaged the aliens were seeing similar successes, as three MAC rounds and a hail of missiles took out the second Reaper, making the aliens lose major offensive capabilities, and two of their Cruisers were destroyed in the onslaught as well. With both sides opening salvos finished, the space battle began in earnest as the ships quickly closed the distance.

As one of the Paris-class Frigates, the _Okinawa_, was destroyed, Cutter knew that they wouldn't be able to hold for long against the aliens in close quarters battle, but he knew that the aliens would take heavy losses as well, as six Frigates had been taken down before the _Okinawa_ was lost. He felt the bridge shutter as it collided with an alien Cruiser, completely destroying it as 50mm rounds and a MAC tore through it and into a Frigate behind the Cruiser, destroying both. Cutter watched as the aliens released fighters and bombers to engage his Task Force, and he saw dropships heading towards the surface of Shanxi.

Cutter yelled out," Comms, tell all Squadrons that they're a go. Tell them to engage the enemy fighters and bombers. Atticus, alert Williams that he has enemy ground units being deployed. Deploy ODSTs from all ships groundside, and any Marines that can be spared from ship garrison duties. We need to keep Shanxi in our hands."

Atticus, on his pedestal nodded, and said," Williams alerted, and orders relayed."

Cutter didn't reply, as he watched the Longsword, Sabre, and Broadsword aircraft were deployed to engage the enemy aircraft. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the drop pods of ODSTs descending to the surface, and dropships exiting bays to head towards the surface as well. He continued to watch the battle on the sensors, giving orders as needed, until the _Spirit_ took two hits, taking down his shields and breaching several hulls.

Cutter interrupted Atticus giving him reports on the damage to bark out," I want everyone off of this ship. Have Pelicans and Ospreys take down anybody they can, along with armor. They'll need it on the ground. I want lifeboats and escape pods away. Activate the Cole Protocol, and delete Selena. We don't want these aliens to get their hands on any information. Overload the reactor, and prep all Shiva Nuclear Missiles onboard, and target one of their Dreadnoughts. We'll go down with a bang, and hopefully take out one of their Dreadnoughts with us. Just before those nukes go off, I want to send an EMP out and hopefully fry the electronics on our ships to ensure that the Cole Protocol is enacted."

Atticus nodded, and seconds later, his voice was on the intercoms yelling," All hands, head to the escape pods and life boats. I repeat, all hands to the lifeboats and escape pods. This is an evacuation order. Marines and vehicles are to be evacuated by Pelican and Osprey dropships. I repeat, this is an evacuation order. All remaining aircraft not needed to carry troops and personnel groundside are to leave the _Spirit of Fire_ immediately. Good luck."

This went on a loop for ten minutes, with Atticus taking over the weapons consoles and defending the _Spirit_ the best he could until all personnel were evacuated.

When they were all evacuated, Cutter said," Hit it, Atticus."

The AI nodded sadly, and as he made an approach vector to one of the Dreadnoughts, he said," It was good serving with you Captain."

"You too, Atticus."

A minute later, the ship exploded, taking out the Dreadnought and three other alien ships along with it.

* * *

-Alpha Base, Shanxi, May 30, 2360-

General Williams, the garrison commander of Shanxi, yelled," Shit!" as the _Spirit of Fire_ disappeared from the sensors in a massive explosion that took out four alien ships with it.

He watched as the _Peleliu_, the last ship in Cutter's Task Force, exploded from multiple hits, leaving Shanxi undefended in space except for the three ODPs and the fighters still fighting. He knew that this wouldn't last long however, as the alien ships, now focused solely on the aircraft and the ODPs, quickly mobilized against them. The General shook his head, and then looked at the holographic map in front of him showing the battleground that Shanxi had quickly become. During the battle, the alien forces that had landed on the planet had quickly taken over the southern pole, and setting three FOBs on the continent that the poles were on. ODSTs and Marine reinforcements had their own FOBs up on the continent, and so far had kept the aliens contained, giving him precious time to evacuate more citizens and have better defensive positions for the rest of the ground forces. The evacuation was almost complete, with only the evacuation of New Beirut, being conducted by the National Guard and Army personnel, left to be completed. He listened to the radio as units reported their statuses in the fight, with special attention given to the fighters and the ODPs in space, as he knew that once those were taken out, the ground war of Shanxi would truly begin.

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Felix Marks jinked left to avoid a hail of gunfire from an enemy fighter that came up from above him, and quickly finished off the fighter that he had been following with one of his missiles, and pursued the fighter that had tried to take him out. Marks, piloting one of the F-41 Exoatmospheric Multirole Strike Fighter, commonly known as the Broadsword, fired a burst of 35mm rounds towards the alien fighter before hearing the familiar whine of a missile lock. The experienced pilot quickly picked up speed, and prepared to deploy chaff. As he picked up speed, he heard the whining increase, meaning that the missile had been fired. But there was a reason why he was still alive in this fight, and as he passed the fighter he had been tailing, he lowered his fighter so it was at the same level as the alien fighter. His plan worked as both missiles that had been fired at him struck the alien fighter due to the fact that they couldn't turn course enough to miss the alien fighter.

The Lieutenant Commander said into his mic, "All Whiskey callsigns, this is Whiskey One. Splash two bogies, over."

Whiskey Two, Lieutenant Michael Hart, said," One, this is Two. I have an alien fighter on me. Can't escape it. I need help."

" Two, One is coming up on your six. Lock-on the enemy fighter. Sparrow out."

Marks watched with satisfaction as his Sparrow missile struck the alien fighter, but that satisfaction was short lived as he turned around a pile of debris from a destroyed enemy Frigate, and coming up on the flank of a Cruiser, in line of its point-defense guns. He screamed just before his fighter exploded from the incoming fire from the Cruiser. Within an hour, every Human fighter that had participated in the fight was either grounded or destroyed. With no aircraft keeping the aliens releasing shuttles to pick up the ground invasion, the alien fleet approached the planet, unaware of the ODPs that had them in their sights.

As the three ODPs over Shanxi fired their Super-MAC rounds, the alien ships were unprepared for the attack, and so within a minute, over ten ships had been destroyed before the aliens began to shoot back at the ODPs. Unfortunately, with no ships to protect the ODPs form receiving fire from the alien fleet, the ODPs were quickly destroyed, leaving no opposition left to keep the aliens from sending in reinforcements to the planet's surface.

* * *

Commander Jane Shepard, CO of all Spartan fireteams on Shanxi, spun the wheel quickly, causing the Warthog to go onto its two left side wheels as she turned to avoid one of the alien tanks that had just turned on the street. This turn was enough for Lieutenant Austin Hunt, the team leader for Fireteam Olympia, to take a shot with his Gauss Cannon, and destroy the tank. Already on the road, Shepard decided to keep going down it, towards the beleaguered ODST company surrounded at city hall, trying to protect the Governor of Shanxi from the aliens who had began ground operations after the destruction of Captain Cutter's Task Force Macabre. She turned down another street, and quickly shifted gears to put more speed on the Warthog. Shepard knew that the ODSTs were close to being overrun, with no chance for support until the convoys punched through the perimeter that the aliens had set up inside their sector of city they controlled, or the Anti-Aircraft guns that the aliens had set up in the city after they had landed. And if the Governor was killed, the result could be catastrophic, as the Scorched Earth policy, that would detonate a nuke inside a city that was put in place in case the city was overrun by Insurrectionists (outdated after the mass Insurrectionist attack on Eridanus-II due to the Insurrectionists becoming disorganized) or the Flood, needed the permission of the Governor of the planet to detonate the nuke, and with the battle going on, it would be almost impossible to swear in the person who would become Governor after him.

She quickly maneuvered the 'Hog as a Longsword Interceptor crashed in the street in front of her, and took a right as the Interceptor had the street blocked. Taking a moment to look up at the sky, she could see that the aliens were winning the fight for air superiority, despite the best efforts of the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine pilots who were managing to deal massive damage despite the odds against them. Further down the street, she could see one of the convoys of Army and Police personnel drive through an intersection. Shepard quickly put the Warthog at the rear of the convoy, behind the Scorpion that was bringing up the rear.

She said," Convoy I just pulled behind, this is Spartan Commander Jane Shepard, over. Where are you guys going?"

" Shepard, this is Ripper 6, we're inbound to the City Hall at this moment. ETA is ten minutes right now. You just follow us Spartan, okay?"

" Roger that Captain. Shepard out."

With the conversation with the convoy finished, she said," All Spartan teams, this is Spartan Commander. What's your statuses over?"

" Dugout's still inbound to the beach, ma'am. We hit AA on the way in, crashed six blocks away from the Orbital Elevator. ETA to the beach is six mikes."

" Olympia 2 is good to go. We have secured the butte, and are providing overwatch for the 3rd Regiment now."

" Royalty has secured the Governor's mansion outside of the city ma'am. Currently waiting for the Army to show up so we can get into the city."

Shepard said," Royalty, when the Army takes over the Governor's mansion, I want you to get a ride and try to link up with Dugout. We need to secure those beaches."

There were replies of "Yes, Commander" and she closed down the channel between her and the teams. Shepard turned right again as she followed the convoy in front of her, and just in time too, as one of the alien tanks turned down the street just as she left it. Austin had the Gauss Cannon trained on the road in case it turned down the same street, but the tank drove right by, unaware that its enemies were barely twenty feet away. Shepard continued to follow the convoy, hearing the sounds of gunfire as they got closer to the city hall. She continued to glance at the sky, watching the dogfights and knowing that the alien aircraft weren't attacking the convoy due to the Salazar AATV(Anti-Aircraft Tracked Vehicle)s that were positioned throughout the convoy. Shepard, looking at the map that was on her HUD, saw that they were only two blocks away from the City Hall, and decided to continue down the road and take a different turn than the convoy, in case there were any ambushes set up along the likely avenue of approach. As she continued to the next turn, she could hear the explosions and gunfire intensify as the convoy hit an ambush. She turned down the next road just when a massive explosion, most likely from one of the Scorpions caused dust to cover the street. Turning on VISR, she continued down the road, and when she turned on Main Street, where City Hall was located, she could make out the ODSTs position along with the aliens, and the lead vehicle of the convoy that had just turned down the street.

Shepard pulled in front of the City Hall, giving Austin on the Gauss Cannon time to take down two buildings across from it. The gate in front of the city hall was still closed, but she could see a fireteam of ODSTs running over to it, in order to keep aliens from getting in when it opened. As it opened, she drove through, with the first Warthog of the convoy following behind her. The tanks in the column were taking position on the street, allowing the lesser armored vehicles through first before they would enter the grounds. When the last tank got on the grounds, the gate closed with the fireteam at the gate spraying the area around the gate as it closed in case any aliens that could have active camo or something got through. There was nothing, and they went back to their position inside the city hall itself, while the convoy, minus the tanks, Salazar AATVs, and Shepard's Warthog,, went into the parking garage where the Marines, Army, Police, and ODSTs took the mounted guns off to place them at prime positions throughout the building.

Shepard jumped off the Warthog, her M395 DMR in her hand as she ran around it and to the front door. Austin was on her rear, the Gauss Cannon ripped off of the mount on the gun, and in his hands as they ran. When they got inside, they could see a squad of ODSTs with a couple of police officers armed with shotguns and pistols guarding the door.

She said," Where' s the CO here?"

One of the ODSTs, a Corporal Irvin Wright, said," Fourth floor, third room on the left when you take the main stairs."

Shepard said," Thanks, Corporal" and ran up the stairs to the CO's room while Austin found a place to put his Gauss Cannon. When she got up to the right floor, she could see a squad of ODSTs mixed together with police forces again standing in the hallway, with two SWAT officers standing guard in front of the doorway. When they saw her, they opened the door and Jane walked in, seeing the Governor, Colonel Patterson, and two other officers leaning over a holographic map of the city, with police officers scattered about the room. The four turned to look at Shepard when the door closed, and when they saw who she was, gestured her over to them.

She walked over, saluted, and said," Commander Jane Shepard, CO of all Spartan Fireteams on Shanxi reporting for duty as ordered, sirs."

Patterson, taking a cue from the Governor, said," Commander, I have a mission for you and the other Spartan who came with you. You see, when the invasion first started, police managed to get the Mayor of the city into an underground bunker beneath the Hyatt Hotel on 54th Street. The last communication we had with him ended abruptly when the aliens let off an EMP in an attempt to cut off communications all over the city, but it only cut communications between us and that district of the city. We need you to go and check out that bunker as the Marines and Army units keep getting hit on the way to the bunker. If the Mayor's alive, bring him back here with you. When you meet up with the other Spartan, head to the garage where two Warthogs and a fireteam will be waiting for you. Good luck, Commander."

Jane saluted, said," Yes, sir", and when she was dismissed, left the room to go and find Austin. When she got out though, she was surprised to see Austin already there, talking to one of the ODSTs as he waited for her. Austin bid the ODST good-bye, and walked behind her as she briefed him in on the mission. When they got to the garage, Austin quickly got on the Gauss Cannon on the back of one of the Warthogs waiting for them, and she got in the driver's seat, knowing that Austin was useless at driving. The Marine fireteam that was joining them took another two minutes to arrive, and they got on the second Warthog, which had the M46 LAAG (Light Anti-Aircraft Gun) on the back of it. Nodding at the cop operating the barrier, she waited until it was lowered before driving out, with the Marines following her. She drove fast to the rear entrance of the city hall, where another fireteam of ODSTs was guarding it so aliens didn't get through while it was opened. When the gate opened, she drove out, and quickly ran over two of the aliens, who she knew were called Turians from looking at the intel Cutter's Electronic Warfare AI was able to get. There were other aliens among the alien fleet, known as Asari and Salarians, but so far the Turians were the only ones commencing ground operations. She drove through the city, trying to avoid any of the Turian positions to try and keep the Marines in the Warthog behind her alive. After ten minutes, she turned onto the last street that was clear of Turian positions and stopped. When the Marines behind her stopped, she dismounted and walked over to their Warthog as she wasn't able to speak to them through the radio.

She looked at the driver, a Corporal and the fireteam leader, and said," Okay, this is the end of the easy roads. After this, each road is going to be an ambush. Drive fast, don't stop. Tell your gunner to fire in bursts for the most accuracy, but don't be afraid to just fill an area with lead. It'll be like this for five minutes or so if we gun it. Ready?"

The Corporal, most likely a veteran in fighting the insurrectionist, nodded. Shepard walked away and hopped back in the Warthog, and turned onto the next street. Almost immediately, she could hear Austin fire the Gauss Cannon, the result of which sent several Turians flying through the air like ragdolls. She gunned it down the street, with the second Warthog right behind her. Jane could hear both guns firing, although Austin was inevitably the more accurate of the two, but the LAAG was doing an excellent job of keeping the Turians suppressed. It took ten minutes before she hit 54th, and by then, the Marines and police guarding the Mayor of the city were alerted to the fact that reinforcements were coming. About halfway down the street, she could see six Marines in front of the Hyatt, and when she pulled up and dismounted, they already had the Mayor in the lobby waiting for an extraction.

Shepard yelled," We're here to get the Mayor to City Hall for extraction! There's only room for him and one more! We need to move fast!"

The Marine she talked to, a Lieutenant nodded, and ushered the Mayor and one of the SWAT officers out into the Warthog, but he told her that there would be extra vehicles joining them. Five minutes later, six Warthogs and three SWAT vehicles pulled out of the Hyatt's parking garage, followed by several police cars. When asked why they hadn't already left the Hyatt, the Mayor had said that the Turians would've made shreds with the rockets as the vehicles would've been slowed by traffic due to the shortage of Warthogs not being able to make room for the police vehicles, but with Shepard's two Warthogs, there would be enough to knock away any barricades or road blocks for the police vehicles. With the convoy made, Shepard pulled off of the curb and into the street, heading back to the City Hall.

Fifteen minutes later due to not meeting any Turian ambushes along the way back, she drove through the rear gate of the City Hall, with half of the convoy behind her while the other half, led by the Marines in the second Warthog, drove through the front gate. She dismounted when she parked the Warthog in the underground garage, and waited for Austin to walk the Mayor to where the Governor and Colonel Patterson were. When they got up there, she waited for the two SWAT officers to open the door while Austin went and talked to the ODST from earlier.

Patterson and the Governor were waiting for them when her and the Mayor walked in, and Patterson said," Excellent work, Commander. Now, I require your assistance with some matters on defending the building. Satellite images reports that the Turians are building troops up for a massive attack on this location and a few others within the city. General Williams has been trying to get more reinforcements in, but all of the convoys are getting hit by artillery and ambushes. Your Spartan team, Dugout, hasn't made it to the beach yet, and until those artillery guns are taken care of, the convoys are screwed, and it's only a matter of time before those guns point at us. It's only because of the other pockets of resistance and the convoys that keep them from hitting us. And when that happens, we're going to be stuck in the underground bunkers. What I want you to help me with, is tell me what you think would be the best way to take out those artillery guns, as aircraft can't do it due to the AA guns positioned around them, while a landing couldn't do it either as they have the high ground with machine guns and rockets, along with snipers and regular infantry. The best way to do it in my opinion would be stealth, although your Dugout team could probably do it with some reinforcements. So what do you suggest I do, Commander?"

Shepard looked at the map, vaguely aware of the Governor and Mayor chatting behind her. She looked at the markers of friendly positions, enemy positions, roadblocks, and anything else that could be considered important. With years of training, she noticed a chink in the way that the alien forces were devised. They had a tight air corridor that, judging from the ranges that intelligence analysts believed the anti-aircraft guns, would allow dropships and fighters a safe passage. This corridor would allow a fighter or dropship, and others if they flew straight behind each other, to coast right on top of the beach before they knew what hit them, especially if they were fighters or bombers that came through.

Jane said," Colonel, look here. There's a very tight air corridor right here, which should allow any dropship or other aircraft to come right up on the anti-aircraft guns without notice. More could get through if they flew right behind each other. What I would recommend is having air strikes hit the AA guns on the beach, along with the artillery, then have dropships come in and land right on the beach. This should have the Turians surprised and in disarray from the bombings. And as the Turians turn to engage whoever lands on the beach, Marines or soldiers, there could be a assault across the river that would deploy forces on the beaches, catching the Turians on two sides. With the AA guns ineffective, this would give the convoys precious maneuvering room and to free up a lot of pinned down units. We could even have convoys attack the other AA guns inside the city."

The Colonel studied the map for a minute, and looking at how the scenario she worked out would conclude to, before saying," Alright, Commander. I'll pass it on to General Williams so he can get the ball rolling. But I want you, as soon as those guns are down, to head to the AA site at the Menendez Statue. I'll free up a squad to assist you, and with those fuckers down, it should open up a lot of air."

Shepard saluted, and left the room when she was dismissed. Austin was still out there, and he formed up behind her as she walked back to the garage.

" What's the mission, Commander?"

" Well Lieutenant, the Colonel asked me for advice on how to secure and take down that arty position on the beach against the Albino River. And he agreed with my plan, and so does General Williams. Our missions though, is to head out and take down the AA at Menendez Statue, which would open up a lot of air for our usage. We're getting a squad of Marines to assist, and we leave as soon as the artillery's down."

" Okay, Commander. You want a Rocket 'Hog, regular 'Hog, or the Gauss 'Hog for this mission?"

" Your choice, Lieutenant. You are the heavy specialist for the moment until your team joins up with us. That reminds me, I have to check how the other Teams are doing."

She changed the comms channel, and said," All units, this is Spartan Commander. What's your progress?"

" Dugout's still not at the beach, ma'm. Although we have gotten within sight of the guns. They have machine guns pinning us down, and too many soldiers for us to punch a hole through. Until we get to a better position to take down those machine guns, we're not going to be able to make it."

" Olympia 2 is among 3rd Regiment inside the city, we're nearing Matador Square, where one of the AA sites is."

" Royalty is boarding a convoy now that is inbound to the beach. ETA is thirty to forty mikes."

" Understood. Dugout, be ready for an airstrike on the beach, an air corridor's open, and General Williams is going to exploit it. There should be dropships following up the airstrike to put boots on the ground. The ETA of the air strike is unknown. Olympia 2, stick with the 3rd Regiment until they take out Matador Square, then break off and try and get sight on any of the AA sites minus Menendez Statue so fast air can take it out. Royalty, stick with the convoy until it gets to the beach. When you link up with Dugout, contact me for further orders. Spartan Commander out."

Shepard closed the channel, and said," Okay, Lieutenant. Your team's with 3rd Regiment right now, and they're almost at Matador Square, where another AA site is."

The Lieutenant just nodded hi s head, and checked his BR85HB and the SRS99-S5 Anti-Material Sniper Rifle as they walked to the garage. She decided to check her own DMR too, along with her M6D as they walked. When they arrived in the garage, they talked to the police officer manning the garage into giving them APC variant of the Warthog for the squad of Marines that would accompany them on the mission, and they took a Rocket Hog for themselves. The squad of Marines arrived a couple of minutes after they had procured the two Warthogs, and when they boarded, the small column proceeded wait for the air strike by three of the Scorpion tanks that had been positioned outside of the City Hall.

Minutes later, her radio beeped, signaling that a new channel had been opened. When she accepted the channel, the face of Colonel Patterson appeared on her HUD.

" Commander, the air strike's ETA is two minutes, with ground forces deploying right afterwards. Your air corridor theory works as we already had a drone fly through, and they didn't take it down like they do the others. Now, the drone saw a slight issue that could slow you down on the way to Menendez statue. The drone saw two shuttles land there, dropping off a bunch of troops, but three of their tanks also showed up. It looks like they're preparing for an attack on the site there. I'm authorizing an air strike to hit there once the AA guns on the beach are taken down as well. It'll help soften them up for you."

" Thanks for the notice, Colonel. Spartan Commander out."

When the timer, which had set when Patterson told Shepard the ETA of the air strike, Shepard followed the APC Warthog out of the City Hall's and onto the streets. When they got to an ambush site, or a likely one, they went around and took an alternate route. After five of these they came within sight of the AA site at Menendez Statue. She could see the Turian defenders milling around the statue, watching the roads. Shepard was just out of their eye sight, and she knew that Austin's rockets launched from this range would take the Turians by surprise.

She said," Lieutenant, I need you to fire those rockets now. It's going to give us precious time to take more of those AA guns while the Turians run around trying to figure out what's going on."

The launch of several rockets was Austin's reply, and she watched as they hit one of the AA guns. With the power of the rockets, the AA gun exploded, showering the defenders in flaming debris and causing two of the AA guns that were near it to catch fire, and eventually explode. In the meantime, Austin continued to fire rockets, taking over half of the AA guns down before they got within the Turians' shooting distance. When they did get within the Turians' range, the bullets pinged off the armor of the Warthog, and the Marines APC sped up to get to the target area quicker, all the while blocking most of the bullets from striking her Warthog. A minute after the Turians started to fire, Jane stopped the Warthog inside the Square, where the Marines had already dismounted the APC and were engaging the Turians, who had been pushed back to the northern edge of the square. Jane jumped out of the driver's seat, bringing up her M395 DMR to her shoulder, and letting off a few rounds at some of the Turians who had their heads sticking up. Two of them dropped from headshots before the rest took cover, and she moved forward quickly to join the Marines who were moving from cover to cover while firing short bursts to keep their heads down.

Behind her and still on the Warthog, Austin kept firing the rockets, and eventually destroyed the last AA gun barely a minute after she had started to move towards the Turian position. She watched as Austin trained his fire on the Turians, blasting apart both body and cover with the rockets. Jane opened fire with her DMR again, with the Marines joining in the turkey shoot as bullets killed the remaining Turians.

Shepard yelled into her helmet," Colonel Patterson, this is Spartan Commander. The AA guns are silent at Menendez Statue, over."

Patterson, back at City Hall, said back," Good job, Commander. General Williams has authorized an Osprey to land at your position and offload another platoon of Marines to assist you in mop-up operations. Additional forces will arrive in thirty mikes to an hour."

" Roger that, Colonel. Spartan Commander out."

She continued to sprint towards the Turian position, but quickly dove to cover when she heard the familiar whine of one of the alien fighters. Shepard looked up, and saw it heading straight for Austin and the Warthog.

Jane yelled," Get the hell outta there, Lieutenant!"

Austin looked up at the fighter approaching, and aimed the rocket launcher at the fighter. But it was too late. The rockets slammed into the fighter, causing it spiraled out of control and descended right on top of the Warthog. Jane watched as the fireball exploded, sending a shockwave down the street, knocking the Turians and the Marines off their feet, and sending cars flying down the street. She was thrown into a building, and as the shields crashed from the massive concussion and kinetic force, she looked up to see Austin lying down on the street, his armor blackened in some areas and motionless. Before she could do anything, everything went black.

* * *

_"Spartan-IVs...the so called best of the best inside of our military. I beg to differ. Yes, they may be new. Yes, they may not have been kids when they were turned into Spartans, and they have what most people refer to as Humanity. But they are arrogant, they don't have the respect that the IIs and IIIs had. Hell, even the Is had better manners than the IVs. They rely on others, mostly ONI, for the intelligence during the missions they undertake. The IIs and IIIs developed their own intelligence, completely unbiased. My IIs and Ackerson's IIIs are much more skilled than the IVs, due to the fact that they were trained as children, and so that training became ingrained in their own bodies. IV's show no respect towards the other branches, or anyone not a Spartan, unlike the IIs and IIIs. The only Spartans I know that show any respect towards anybody not a Spartan is Lieuteanant Austin Hunt, Commander Jane Shepard, and Gabriel Thorne. Three people out of a thousand are the only IVs who have an inch of respect for anyone outside of the Spartans. What do you think that says about the training they receive?"_

_-Dr. Catherine Halsey, Head of Spartan-II Project, on the Spartan-IVs_


	7. Invasion of Shanxi (Part Two)

On the Brink: Rewrite

Chapter Four

A.N.: Thank you guys for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows. Shout out to Andrithir for betaing this story.

Quote: I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious. -**Vince Lombardi**

* * *

_"SEALS are the best of the best in SpecWarCom (_Special Warfare Command_). They undertake the missions that are too Black for the Spartans, often working under ONI's OPCON (_Operational Control_). Based off of their predecessors from the 20th and 21st Century, they can fight in any environment. SEa, Air, Land, and Space. I feel sorry for which poor bastard gets their attention."_

-Email to Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, from Vice Admiral David Petraeus, CINC of SpecWarCom

* * *

Jane moaned softly as she came back to the land of consciousness, holding her head, which was missing her helmet due to the blast of the enemy fighter. As she remembered the crashing jet, she got up and looked around, trying to find Austin. Much to her shock, he was already up, his BR85HB in his hands as he stood guard with three other Marines. He had pieces of his armor off, including his helmet, and was talking to one of the Marines about something.

As she got closer, she could hear that he was talking about the Spartan-IV training, along with ODST training, and when he heard her footsteps, he turned, and said," Glad to see you're back in the land of consciousness, Commander."

Shepard looked at him, and saw that parts of his face were blackened by the explosion, but said," Glad to be back, Austin. What's the situation?"

Austin motioned around them as he spoke," That alien fighter did a lot of damage. Our Warthog's done for, and the two APCs were both overturned. I flipped them both, so if we need a ride out, they're usable. But six of the twelve Marines are dead, and the other two are still unconscious. We have them inside the store over there. They're stable, but without medical treatment soon, they might die. I tried raising Patterson and my team, Royalty, and Dugout, but the Marines comms are down. Haven't found your helmet yet, so I don't know if its comms are working or not."

Jane nodded, and said," You okay, Austin?"

Austin smiled tiredly, and said," I'm doing good, Commander. As long as there are no more suicidal aliens with planes gunning for me."

Jane chuckled softly, and decided to look for her helmet while Austin and the Marines stayed on guard, waiting for a potential counterattack as the explosion and fighting must have attracted attention. It took her about ten minutes to find her helmet, as it had landed quite a distance away from where she had been knocked unconscious. She put it on, and found that the systems all seemed to be fine, except for two cracks on the visor.

Jane decided to try comms, and said," Patterson, this is Spartan Commander, over. I repeat, Spartan Commander to Patterson."

It took a couple of seconds, before she heard Patterson's voice," Spartan Commander, this is Patterson. Good to hear you're alive. What's your situation?"

" AA guns are down, but half of the Marines who were with us are dead, and they have two wounded. Austin took a hit too, but he's up and running. We have two working APCs, but I would prefer extract if possible."

Patterson waited for a few seconds, before saying," Alright, Commander. I'm sending a Pelican your way to extract you. Listen up though. The Pelican's going to be dropping you off at the Prom Night shelter under Einstein Avenue. Satellites are showing the alien vessels moving closer to the planet, and we're getting massive energy readings from them. We believe they're going to bombard the planet. Prom Night's going to be a major staging area to keep up the attack. We're not going to give them a chance to attack. You got that, Commander?"

" Loud and clear, Colonel. What's the ETA on the Pelican?"

" Ten mikes. Patterson out."

Shepard closed the channel, and walked over to where Austin was going through the damage of the Warthog and fighter, ignoring the flames that were licking at his armor. She walked over, and watched as he tried to find whatever he was looking for. When he stood up, he had something very small in his hands, almost the size of one of those old walkie-talkies from the 21st Century.

She asked," What is that?"

Austin looked at the piece of hardware in his hands, and smirked, saying," It's a Black Box, Commander."

" Ah. I see. So, the good Colonel's sending a Pelican to extract us. Hopefully there's a medic onboard, as I said we had wounded. Get the bodies and wounded out here, and ready to move them on the dropship. We need to get out of here ASAP."

" What's the rush?"

" Higher ups think that the aliens are going to bombard the planet. They've got some massive energy readings coming from them, and they're moving closer to the planet."

Austin looked at her, shocked, before saying," You're serious, Commander? They're going to bombard the planet?"

She nodded, before walking away to try and contact the other Spartan Teams.

" All Spartan units, this is Spartan Commander. All Spartan units, report."

" Royalty here. We're on the beach with Dugout. The aliens are bugging out, and we're making our way to the Plant Shade shelter at the Briar Hotel. ETA to shelter is five mikes."

" Olympia 2 here. Matador Square is secured, and we're currently on our way to the shelter under the Fujikawa Museum here in Matador Square."

Shepard sighed in relief, and said," Good. Keep me posted."

There were replies of "Yes, ma'am" before the channel went silent, and she turned at hearing the familiar sound of a Pelican coming in for a landing. To her surprise, there was another Pelican landing behind it, dispatching a platoon of Airborne from the 101st Army Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. The platoon moved towards the APCs, and loaded in, before driving them both in the Pelican they came out of. She guessed that their only job was to get the APCs on the Pelican, and continued to watch as some of them assisted Austin and the Marines in getting the wounded and dead on their Pelican.

When the Marines were all on the Pelican, Austin walked over, and said," Time to go, Commander. Bombardment's going to be commencing soon."

Shepard nodded, and said," Coming, Austin. What's the ETA to Prom Night?"

" Five mikes, Commander."

She nodded as she walked into the Pelican, and sat down on the bench across from the Marines. Austin sat down beside her, and rested his head back on the wall behind him. Through the external speakers on her helmet, she could hear Austin's breathing become slow and steady, showing that he had fallen asleep. It sometimes amazed her that Austin could find the ability to sleep in almost any situation, including an alien invasion that could be catastrophic for the Alliance. She shook him awake when the Pelican started to descend into the helipad that had been opened up underneath Einstein Avenue to allow the dropships to descend. As they descended, Jane looked out of one of the windows of the Pelican, and saw the street close above them. She turned away, and felt the Pelican land softly on one of the landing pads. The ramp opened, and she stepped out, Austin and the Marines following her.

At the base of the ramp stood an Army Ranger, wearing the stripes of a Sergeant Major. The Ranger gestured for Jane and Austin to follow her while the Marines went to collect their dead from the other Pelican. They followed the Sergeant Major down through the hallways of the underground shelter, which was more like a base created by the marvel of technology created using modified Forerunner technology. The two Spartans and the Ranger passed through security checkpoints without being checked when the Ranger held up a card that let them through.

Jane said," Where we going, Sergeant Major?"

" Captain Franks wants to see you, Commander. And no, I don't know why."

" Got it, Sergeant Major."

Austin said," Captain Franks? The Airborne commander?"

The Ranger didn't slow down, but said," Yeah. You know him?"

The Spartan-IV Lieutenant said," Yeah. I operated with him when I was in Detachment Alpha."

That stopped the Ranger in his tracks, while Jane and Austin kept going. The Ranger sped up to get back in the lead, and kept stealing glances at Austin. It was obvious that the Ranger was surprised to meet someone from Detachment Alpha, who were legends in the Special Operations community, even to the Spartans. Detachment Alpha was a company of ODSTs, who were chosen by ONI operatives to go through a toned down version of the elite SAD (Special Activities Division) training school. They had been the some of the most ruthless fighters during the Insurrection, and many military historians believed that they were the ones who kept the Insurrection from getting too strong before the Spartan Project came to fruition, and the Spartan-IIs were able to deal blows to the Insurrectionist leadership, leaving the ODSTs of Detachment Alpha to take on more conventional roles of fighting, which was against their training to be members of Detachment Alpha. They would take massive casualties during engagements against the Insurrectionists, leading them to take on more suicidal and dangerous missions, until Ackerson, a former Airborne Captain and liason to Detachment Alpha, created the Spartan-III Project, which put Detachment Alpha out of business again, and they were eventually disbanded and molded into different units, with most of them becoming Spartans.

The Ranger, after a minute of silence, asked," What was your callsign while you were in Detachment Alpha? I operated with a team during Green Lightning."

Austin chuckled, and Jane found herself wanting to hear what he would say, as he never told her his callsign during his time in Detachment Alpha, and it had a security clearance so high that not even General Williams knew which Detachment Alpha member he had been, although they both had their guesses. She knew that Austin had been one of the more dangerous IVs she had ever met, and during the War Games scenarios that had been set up back at Alpha Base he proved that he was much more ruthless than the average Spartan, willing to do whatever it took for victory. Sometimes she worried that ONI, who was in operational command of all Detachment Alpha units, did something to his mind, as before his Detachment Alpha career, he had been willing to do anything to save his subordinate's lives, even if it meant failing the mission.

Her thoughts were broken when Austin said," My callsign was Ginger."

Now both Jane and the Ranger stopped in their tracks, and stared at the IV. Even though she had guessed that Austin had been the fearsome Detachment Alpha Lieutenant known as Ginger, whose name was enough to cause Spartan-IIs to get a shiver go down their spine, it was simply unbelievable that Austin was Ginger. The legend known as Ginger was relatively unknown, except for what the parts of his file that weren't blacked out said. It said that he had been an ODST before joining Detachment Alpha, and that his team had been a major player on the operations that took down a major portion of the Insurrectionist leadership, including hunting down and killing a rogue ONI team. Jane sped to catch up with Austin as he continued walking, seemingly knowing the way to Franks' office. The Ranger eventually got back in the lead, although he had to sprint to take the lead as he had been so shocked that the two Spartans were way in the lead.

Jane said," You were Ginger?"

Austin glared at her slightly, noting the cold tone she had spoken in, and said," So what if I was?"

" So what? You massacred an entire Insurrectionist base, killing wives and children!"

" Yeah? And you know why? They were all plotting to kill civilians! The people I killed weren't civvies, they were hostiles!"

" You don't know that! Maybe the women knew, but the children probably didn't know their parents were Insurrectionists!"

Austin's slight glare turned into a full one, and he lifted a finger, pointing it at the scar on his forehead, and saying," Well I got this scar from one of the kids when he shot at me when we were breaching the first room! Every kid and women there were carrying guns! The Innies wired their own children to blow up! We did what we did to protect ourselves!"

Jane was about to continue the shouting match, but the Ranger said," Uh, sir, ma'am, we're going to have to hurry up or the Captain's going to wonder where we're at."

Austin nodded, and said," Alright, then. Lead the way, Sar Major."

The Ranger led them down the halls again, passing other Rangers, Airborne, Marines, and other personnel. Finally, he stopped in front of a door, and slammed his fist three times against it.

A voice inside said," Come in."

The Sergeant Major opened the door, letting the two Spartans in, and closed it behind them. Inside the room were two Airborne guards, both of whom had their hands loosely gripping BR85HBs. There was a desk, behind which sat another man, who's uniform showed him to be a Captain in the 101st Airborne Division. A nametape identified him as Captain Andrew Thomas.

Thomas said," Thank you two for coming, despite you outranking me Commander Shepard."

Shepard smiled inside her helmet, and said," It is no problem, Captain. So what did you want to speak to us about?"

" The bombardment's about to begin, and we're in full retreat to the shelters. Everything's going underground, and the enemy commander knows this, so he's trying to take advantage of it. There's a base being set up outside of the city, and from what the satellites show us, they're putting arty, armor, and aircraft there, although there are no AA guns. Once the bombardment's over, they're going to be able to wreck anything we do within the city. Patterson's worked out an assault plan to coincide with the arrival of Drescher's fleet. He wants you, Lieutenant Johnessee, and the rest of Olympia Team to take a dropship over to a LZ outside of the alien base, where you'll link up with the Spartan-II Blue Team under Master Chief John-117. From there, you'll infiltrate the base and either capture it, or if that option fails, place a beacon inside the base. This beacon will summon an airstrike, and once the airstrike is finished and nothing remains of that base, reinforcements will arrive. The reinforcements will be a company from the 15th Airborne. Do you understand, Commander?"

" Yeah, I got it. Why didn't Patterson tell me this?"

" Operational security. Aliens have the upper hand, and until Drescher's fleet kicks their fleet out, Patterson's worried about comms being traceable. So from now on, I'll be the one relaying orders to you."

" Got it. Is that all?"

" Yep. You may leave, Commander."

Shepard nodded at the Airborne Captain, and left the room, Austin staying behind for a few minutes to talk to Franks. When Austin finally came out, Shepard was waiting for him with her helmet off, and two grilled chicken sandwiches in her hands. She tossed one to him, and finished eating hers before starting to walk to the floor dedicated to Special Operations to get her armor off. They were silent as they walked, the only noise their footsteps and Austin eating. Shepard kept stealing glances at him, but if he noticed, he didn't show it as he kept his eyes straight forward or on his sandwich. When they arrived at the floor, a squad of scientists who had been assigned to Shanxi because of the Spartans crowded around them, asking questions.

Jane and Austin were separated, with Jane going to get her armor taken off, and Austin getting pieces of his replaced along with the helmet. As her armor was being taken off, Jane heard explosions from above them, and realized that the bombardment must have started. When she was finished, she walked over to where Austin was getting his armor fixed. The three scientists working on it were cursing in six different languages, each of which Austin understood and was laughing at. She only understood two of the languages being spoken, English and Spanish. When Austin's suit was finished being repaired, only taking twenty minutes due to the extra parts that were in storage, the two Spartans went towards the ready room, where they watched footage of the bombardment that was still going on.

Luckily, almost every armored column and soldier within the city were in the underground shelters, and the rest had made their way to underground basements. The alien bombardment barely did any damage, except knocking over a few buildings. What did the most damage during the bombardment was the dropping of aliens on the Orbital Elevator, from which they would have an excellent viewpoint of the surrounding area. That problem was fixed though, when a Mass Driver hidden in one of the many farms on Shanxi fired, taking down one of the alien ships, which crashed into the Orbital Elevator. Shepard watched in silence as the Orbital Elevator crashed, being no stranger to events like these. The alien vessels tried to find the Mass Driver, but Williams, an old-hand and experienced with war, had cleverly hidden it. Austin walked away from the screen an hour into the bombardment to get something to eat, and returned with two salads. He handed one to her, and they both started eating. The bombardment was still going on when they finished. It took another three hours before the bombardment started slowing, and then a readiness alarm went off around the shelter.

Jane led the way to the armory, grabbing a BR85HB and a M45D shotgun along with two M6C/SOCOM pistols. Austin grabbed a SRS99-S5 and a MA5D assault rifle, and two M8Ss. The two grabbed their two preferred abilities, jet pack for herself and active camo for Austin. They grabbed ammunition as well, before leaving the room, running towards the landing pads their HUDs had highlighted for them as orders were updated all across Shanxi. As a Commander, she received more information than most other grunts, and a stream of words were going across her screen. They told her that Drescher's fleet was twenty minutes away from exiting Slipspace, that the bombardment had nearly stopped, and that the armored columns had started to get up to street level to clear out any enemy resistance near the shelter. On the way to the landing pad, Franks intercepted them and handed something to Austin.

He said," It's a beacon. Use it as a last resort. If you start getting overrun, plant it on the ground, and a squadron of Shortswords will bomb the hell out of that base. When you activate it, get the hell out of there as nothing's going to survive it."

With that, he ran off to who knew where and the IVs continued on their way. When the two Spartans arrived at the correct landing pad, they saw the Osprey crew loading weapons and ammunition onboard, as well as spare parts in case the bird came down. The Ranger squad was already there, putting on their parachutes and wing suits just in case they had to jump. While the Rangers were putting them on, the two Spartans stood next to the ramp of the Osprey, waiting for the Rangers to get in first. Once the Rangers were in, both Spartans entered as well, and continued to watch as the crew did their stuff. When the six-man crew (two pilots, three gunners, and a crew chief) were all on and in position, the pilot started up the bird.

Shepard heard the pilot say," This is your pilot speaking. We are proud to have you flying Air Shanxi today. Remember to keep all hands, feet, and bodies inside the dropship at all times. We wish you to have a wonderful day kicking some alien ass."

The Rangers all yelled," Oorah" and broke into excited chatter about the mission. Unlike the Spartans, they didn't have the necessary discipline to stay silent during the pre-mission routine.

Austin said," Remember what it was like not being an elite soldier that everyone looks up too? Back when we were just Marines and ODSTs?"

Jane chuckled, and said," Remember on Harmony? When the Innies were pretty much running the whole system, and we attacked that island, hunting down Watts? Jackson had switched seats with Montville, saying something about 'seeing that movie' or something. We all laughed, but I could never figure out what movie he was talking about."

The sniper said," Yeah, I remember that. He was talking about Black Hawk Down, about a battle, between American Special Operations and Somali Militia. We learned about it at Spartan School. The Battle of Mogadishu, known as Black Hawk Down because two Black Hawks crashed within the city, and a third one crashed within friendly territory. Ironically enough, the American assault force was mainly Rangers."  
It took Jane a couple of seconds to remember what he was talking about, and when she did, she said," I wonder how he knew of that movie. It would have been a twentieth-century movie, yes?"

" Yeah. But Jackson grew up with an Army family, and his dad happened to be a Ranger. One of the war movies he saw about Rangers was Black Hawk Down."

Jane nodded, remembering their former squad mate's history, or the one he told them. He had grown up on Tribute, where his dad had retired to after his service in the UNSC Army to be able to view Reach at night with a simple telescope. Jackson had grown up watching war videos and movies, some of them going back as far as the 20th Century. He died when a stray burst of fire tore through a wall that the squad had taken cover behind during operations against the Insurrectionists on Eridanus II. She remembered that battle, where only her, Austin, and Juliana Silvia had survived from her squad.

Jane shook her head to clear away her thoughts, as the pilot said," Five minutes to landing."

Shepard said," Got it."

Opening a channel up to the other Spartan teams, and said," All Spartan teams, this is Spartan Commander. What's your statuses?"

" Dugout's still at Plant Shade, Commander. We're awaiting a bird to take us to Elizabeth Island."

" Royalty, ma'am. We're inbound to the Horizon building."

" Olympia 2 here, Commander. We're seven mikes out from the LZ."

Jane nodded, and said," Okay. Keep me posted. Olympia 2, we'll be at the LZ before you then."

" Got it, Commander. Olympia 2 out."

Shepard closed the channel, and studied the overhead images of the LZ and the surrounding area of the base, trying to come up with the best way to approach the base and stay undetected. She reached her decision, and closed down the images, and looked at the now open ramp, which had lowered when the Osprey was a minute out. When the Osprey landed, the two IVs led the way out of the VTOL dropship, the Rangers, who would be providing security for the LZ, following behind them. The Rangers formed a perimeter, and when Jane tapped the pilot's window, and pointed up, the Osprey lifted off, heading back to Plant Shade to pick up the Airborne QRF. A couple of minutes later, the second Osprey came in, offloading the rest of Olympia Team before flying off to pick up its own load of QRF.

Olympia 2, Chief Petty Officer Robert Epps, saluted Shepard and Austin, saying," Commander, Lieutenant."

The two officers returned the salute, and Shepard, who had been around the block with Epps a couple of times, said," You were probably briefed on this mission already, but it doesn't hurt to go over it one more time. Now, when Drescher and the Second Fleet come in, some of them are going to be doing flybys in order to reinforce us here on the ground, as casualties were heavy. The Spartan-II Blue Team, led by Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, is going to be dropping in from SOEIVs on our position to take part in the attack on the base. Once they're here, we're going to infiltrate the base and attack from within. And when the base is secured, we get extracted to fight somewhere else. Any questions?"

There were none, and the group waited for Blue Team to arrive.

Master Chief John-117, Spartan-II and CO of Blue Team, walked through the Marathon-class Cruiser ASC_ Warrior_, heading to the bridge for a briefing from Admiral Katherine Drescher. The rest of Blue Team followed behind him, chatting quietly. He could hear Will, Blue Five, and Fred, Blue Four, talking about the new M4A7 released by Misriah Armories to replace the MA5 series. Will was saying that it would succeed in the replacement, but Fred disagreed. John had to agree with Fred, as he couldn't imagine not having his trusty MA5 somewhere near him. Linda, Blue Three, and Kelly, Blue Two, were talking about possible missions on Shanxi. Kelly thought that they would engage in stealthy missions alongside the ONISAD team that was deploying groundside, while Linda thought that they would be supporting the ground units already moving to retake Shanxi. John, who knew the basics of the first mission they would be doing on Shanxi, remained silent during the trip.

When the five Spartans arrived at the bridge, they were let in without much pause by the Marines guarding the bridge. They walked in to see Vice Admiral Katherine Drescher standing next to the holotable as it showed the terrain of an area on Shanxi, and with her was the ONISAD team known as Sandtrap. The four lifted their heads up when they heard the door open, and Drescher gestured for Blue Team to walk over. John nodded at Sandman and Dune, both of whom he had gone around the block with a couple of times before they joined ONISAD. Sandman nodded at Kelly and Linda, whom he had met already on a mission taking down Insurrectionists. The third member of Sandtrap, a woman known as Sandstorm, stayed silent, just watching.

Drescher continued her briefing of Sandtrap," As I was saying, the aliens are planning something in this valley here. Four mountains circle it, and we can't get in low enough to get boots on the ground without the aircraft getting shot down, and the AA is so closely packed, that they would be able to destroy a regiment of ODSTs before boots touched ground. So you're going to have to jump from the _Warrior_ to hit ground safely. Now, we still haven't been able to find where exactly the AA guns are, so you're going to have to laze targets for us to bombard from here. I want you to laze any other targets of high value as well. When the AA guns are taken out, we're going to be dropping ODSTs into the valley. Your team will be calling in CAS (Close Air Support) and MAC rounds on any convoys, or large enemy forces to make it easier for the ODSTs. Once the valley is secured, we'll be deploying you elsewhere. Any questions?"

The ONISAD team had none, and Drescher turned to Blue Team, and said," Alright Spartans. Got a mission for you. Colonel Patterson, the current Commander of all operations in New Beirut, is getting ready to break through the alien perimeter around the city. But there's an enemy base that's in a perfect position to disrupt all operations within the city. Commander Shepard, the commander of all Spartan units on Shanxi, and Olympia Team are going to be attacking the base, but there's fear of there being too many aliens for the IVs to handle, so you're going to be attacking alongside them. Now, Shepard's going to be in command, as not only does she outrank you, but she knows the area better than you do. We'll be doing a pass over Shanxi, and you'll be dropping in by SOEIV with the first wave of ODSTs. Once the base is secured, we'll be deploying you where necessary. Any questions?"

Will said," What's our support?"

" One of the IVs has a beacon that will call in Shortsword bombers. But that's only a last resort. And there'll be Airborne acting as QRF in case it gets desperate. But it shouldn't come to that."

The Spartans nodded at that, and when Drescher dismissed them, they left to go down to their armory, Sandtrap following them down. SAD teams and Spartans often shared the same armory due to their missions requiring the same equipment as the Spartans. When they got there, the five Spartans and three operators went to their weapons lockers to prepare for their respective missions. Both groups were already in their GEN2 armor, Sandtrap wearing the SAD Variant of the armor. John opened up his locker, and grabbed his MA5B assault rifle, along with a M6D pistol. He put an energy sword on his opposite hip, and put an old-fashioned 20th Century K-BAR knife on each leg, along with a Nightwing X23 CK in a shoulder pocket. The Chief took ten extra magazines for the MA5B, which were loaded with a mix of AP and "shredder" rounds. He did the same with ten magazines for his pistol, also loaded with a mix of AP and "shredder" rounds, with tracers added in as well.

John turned to look at Linda, to see her putting an Oracle 32x zoom scope on her SRS99-S5 sniper rifle, and putting a M6C on her hip, along with an energy sword. Two knives were put in pouches on her chest, the other pouches holding ammunition and grenades. She was threading a silencer onto the threads of the pistol, a flash suppressor already on the sniper rifle. John turned his attention to Kelly, to see her grabbing a MA5D assault rifle, and a Spartan Laser. She put ten clips of extra ammunition for the MA5D in pouches, along with several grenades and knives. Kelly also put an energy sword on her hip, much like John and Linda.

Will was putting an EOTech sight on the M379 LMG, and placing AP and "shredder" mags in the pouches built to hold the SAW magazines. He also had an energy sword on one of his hips, and a M8S on the other. There were a couple of knives on his ankles and legs, and grenades in their pouches. Fred, standing next to him, was putting a M45D Tactical Shotgun on his back, a M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon laying next to his locker, obviously waiting to be picked up when he was done getting everything else he needed. An energy sword was on his left hip, and a M6C was on his right. Fred also put on a Falcon Wing in case the Pelican they would be taking down to the surface was forced to crash.

John decided to do the same, and said," Blue Team, I want Falcon Wings in case something happens on the way down."

Green lights from his team showed they understood, as they put on the Falcon Wing units. They each checked each other's units to make sure they were on properly and would work. When they finished, they turned around to see the ONISAD team was finished outfitting as well. They each had SRS99-S5 sniper rifles, MA5K carbines, M6C pistols, energy swords, grenades, and knives all over their body. Each of them also had a SOFLAM (Special Operations Forces Laser Marker) so they could laze the AA and artillery guns located within their valley, allowing the ships in space to take them out. The SAD team also had Personal Atmospheric Ascension Lander (PAAL)s. The PAULs allowed ASC forces, mainly Spartans and other SOF units, to avoid using SOEIVs to insert from the atmosphere by having a massive parachute and wing suit, which slowed down momentum enormously. Having a hundred percent success rate, PAULs were the preferred method of clandestine insertions for SAD, SOG, SEALS, and Spartans.

Sandman said," Well, Chief. I guess this is where we say good-bye."

John, who had been around the block with Sandman multiple times, said," Yep. Well, I wish you luck, Tony."

The two friends tapped fists, before John nodded to Dune and Sandstorm while Sandman nodded at Fred, Kelly, Linda, and Will. Sandtrap left the armory first, heading to the _Warrior_'s PAUL room, with Blue Team following behind them then separating to head to the ODST launch bay. The ship's AI, Aladdin, helpfully provided the way to their designated SOEIVs. When they got in, John put his assault rifle in the weapon compartment to his right, and his pistol in the designated compartment as well.

Aladdin said," Blue Team, your launch is five mikes. We'll be exiting slipspace in two."

John said," Got it Aladdin."

The five Spartans sat in their SOEIVs, going through their pre-op rituals. John could hear Linda turning the dials of her Oracle scope to get the upmost accuracy possible, while Kelly was watching footage from the battle on Shanxi that the satellites were sending out to analysts back at ONI and HIGHCOM, or anyone who had knowledge of the fight and the proper security clearance, like Kelly. Fred was sharpening his knife on his armor, while Will was checking weapon specs that weapon companies had sent to the Spartan's email address, knowing that they needed his approval of their new weapons for them to be used by the ASC. John switched to see what specs he was looking at, and quickly downloaded half of them to his own data banks as the weapons were interesting. Among them was the M4A7, the potential replacement for the MA5 series, the M432 LMG, the replacement for the M379 SAW, and the M57 SMG, the designated replacement for the M8 SMG. He read through them, only stopping when he felt the _Warrior_ shudder slightly as it exited slipspace. Despite all attempts, the exit was never completely smooth.

He heard Drescher say, "Okay Blue Team. You're going groundside in one minute. Blue, the IVs and Rangers are already at the rendezvous, and the closest enemies to you are at the base you're assaulting, and you know how accurate the drops are now, so you don't have to worry about any enemies around you. Any questions?"

When there were none she said, "Okay. We got three minutes until your drop, and two minutes before we're within range of the enemy without doing a pinpoint slipspace jump. Don't worry about the ship being destroyed, as the _Warrior_ can take any punishment that the enemy fleet gives us, and plus we have the rest of the fleet in assistance. Well, good luck. I'll contact you when it's time for you to be inserted."

John and Blue Team remained silent for the remaining three minutes, listening to the sound of the _Warrior_'s MAC Cannon firing, and shuddering. They were only broken out of their silence when klaxons started to sound, instead of red signaling emergencies, they were green, which meant that the SOEIVs were about to drop.

Drescher said," Okay Spartans. It's time for your insertion. In three, two, one. Launch!"

The SOEIVs exploded out of the _Warrior_'s launch bay with enough force to make a skyscraper collapse, and sent into space. As they flew out of the launch bay and towards the planet, John's enhanced vision and his helmet allowed him to see Sandtrap watching them from the Atmospheric Human Insertion Bay (AHIB). Turning back to look at his screens, he could see his team calmly checking their instruments to make sure that nothing would happen. As they plummeted to space, the ODST anthem started to play, most likely by the ODSTs dropping in with them.

When they entered the atmosphere, the parachutes of the SOEIVs opened up, slowing down the pods considerably from their previous speeds. Once they were close enough to the ground, the pods' braking rockets activated, slowing them down even further. When they hit ground, the Spartans' armor, along with the pod took the impact, so there was little to no discomfort, unlike the ODSTs who were uncomfortable when the pod hit. John grabbed his assault rifle while putting his pistol on his armor, and stepped out of the SOEIV to be greeted by a squad of Rangers and five Spartan-IVs. The rest of Blue Team followed him out of their SOEIVs, and stood behind him.

One of the IVs stepped forward, and said," I'm Commander Shepard, Commander of all Spartans on Shanxi. I'm assuming that Drescher briefed you before the launch?"

John merely nodded, and Shepard continued on," Good. That means I don't have to spend as much time explaining to you guys, and we'll get this op done faster. Now, Austin," here she motioned to one of the IVs who had a SRS99-S5," and I scouted out a path hidden from the base that we can use to approach it. They don't know the path is there, and they don't have any patrols, so it should go smoothly. There's a slight rise on the way to the base, and it's a perfect overwatch. It would be nice if Linda could set up there, but if she wants to be in the action, I'll have Austin be on overwatch. So Epps and the rest of Olympia's going to be attacking from the north side of the base with Austin, while your team's going to be attacking from the South with me. We kill everyone in the base, and try to get as much intel as possible. Austin's got a beacon that will bring in a carpet bomb on the base, but it's a last resort, and Airborne QRF is standing by in case things get hairy."

Linda spoke up, saying," I'll take overwatch."

Shepard nodded, and said," Good. Now, will your scope be able to see through buildings?"

Linda nodded, and Shepard continued," Even better, as overhead shows a lot of buildings within the base. When we're inside the base, remember to watch your corners, and be prepared for ambushes. Any questions?"

None of the Spartans had any, and Shepard said," Alright, let's go then."

The ten Spartans checked their gear one last time, before bidding farewell to the Rangers, who would be guarding the LZ, and running towards the base, heads on a swivel. Running at full sprint, it only took three minutes to reach the rise where Linda took position. On a moment's thought, one of the IVs, a Marvin Wright, was left with her as well, his M379 LMG would be providing overwatch as well. The remaining eight Spartans continued towards the base, with the commander of Olympia Team, Lieutenant Austin Hunt, and the IVs' sniper in the lead. When they reached the hill that the alien base was located on, the Spartans split, with Hunt and the remaining members of Olympia going to the northern side of the base, while Fred, John, Kelly, Shepard, and Will went to the southern side.

Before they parted ways, Shepard said," You guys going to be okay, Austin?"

The IV turned, and said," We'll be fine, Commander."

With that, Lieutenant Hunt and the two other members of Olympia left the group, quickly leaving their sight as they turned towards the southern part of the base. When John turned to Shepard, wanting to get the show on the road, he saw her watching where Austin had last been seen. After a moment, she shook her head, and motioned for Blue Team to follow her as they moved towards the northern part of the base. They made their way to it pretty fast, in order to get there and start the attack at the same time as Olympia Team so the aliens wouldn't be prepared for an attack on the base. When they got to their side, Shepard took a couple of seconds to find a good point to enter the base from. John pointed to the guard towers, where if they moved close enough to one of the towers, only one guard would be able to see them. She nodded, and they quickly moved. Linda obviously knew what they were doing, as the guard in the tower to their right crumpled, followed by the guard in the tower they were using to hide from the guard tower to their left. As they got to the edge of the tower's corner, the guard to their left collapsed as well. Seeing that they were clear, the five Spartans rushed across to a building in front of him. John peeked into the window, and saw three of the aliens standing at a desk, looking at handheld devices while chatting. A door in the back led to somewhere else, and a quick peak around the corner showed that the building was about three hundred meters long

Shepard said," Austin, it's Shepard. Are you in the base?"

A couple of seconds later, the IV said," Yeah, we're in Commander. Time to go loud?"

" Yep. Let's take down these SOBs."

Hearing that, John sprayed his assault rifle through the window, taking down the three aliens quickly. Shepard kicked down the door, running through it and killing another alien who came running in through the door with her own shotgun, Fred, John, and Kelly moving in behind her with Will watching their rear. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of gunfire as Olympia Team engaged. Fred took point, and rushed through the second door, quickly killing one of the aliens before rolling to the left to avoid a burst of gunfire and killing the second alien. A door at the back of the room burst open, but John and Shepard emptied rounds into it, killing the three aliens who tried to come through. The five Spartans moved fast towards the door, with Kelly unsheathing her energy sword as she moved first through the doorway. She quickly killed the alien who tried to stab her with his own hardlight blade, but the Spartan easily blocked it and thrust the blade into his chest. John, who came up behind Kelly, killed the second alien in the room, clearing the room of threats. The room was an array of offices, with many terminals. Fred put a drive into one of the terminals, and hacked into the system before downloading files. Despite the AIs being able to easily hack into the systems, they didn't know everything about the aliens, and the VIs were unable to tell that Fred was stealing their files as they thought that it was a recognized entry.

When Fred finished, they continued through the building, killing hostiles as they went, until they arrived at a mess hall. John and the others had been getting a bad feeling as they continued through the building, getting ready for an ambush when they reached a big enough room, which turned out to be a briefing hall as large as a carrier's launch bays. Almost immediately, bullets were sent towards the Spartans, who reacted fast thanks to their augmentations. The pitched battle went on for several minutes, and they ended up engaging several mechanized drones, taking them down with ease thanks to Kelly's Spartan Laser and Fred' s rocket launcher. When all of the aliens were finally taken down, the five Spartans exited the room, and ended up outside, just as three tanks were passing by. Two were taken down by Fred and Kelly before they knew they were there, while the last one was destroyed by a rocket launched from the southern part of the base. When John looked over there, he could see one of the three Olympia Team Spartans running around a corner. The five Spartans continued to clear out the base, ambushing aliens that were trying to make their way to attack Olympia Team, or attacking buildings.

Eventually, the aliens began bringing in reinforcements, with vehicles driving up the hill to the base, or shuttles dropping off their forces. They managed to hold off for a while before the situation began to get desperate as a gunship engaged them after Fred and Kelly were out of ammo for their anti-vehicle weapons. It took John, Linda, Shepard, and Will all putting rounds down range to take it down, and after it crashed into a shuttle, taking out the other aircraft and its load of troops, Shepard decided to fall back to the rally point on the western side of the base.

She yelled out," Everybody, let's get to the rally point! Linda, make sure no one's in front of us! Austin, this is Shepard! We're falling back to the rally point!"

It took a couple of moments for the Lieutenant to reply, but he said," Alright, Commander. We're on the way. It's a little hairy though."

" Just get to the damn rally point and we'll deal with it then, Austin."

" Got it, Commander. Olympia's moving to the rally point now."

John could hear the gunfire in the southern sector pick up as the three IVs started to fall back, the cracks of Austin's sniper rifle obviously meaning a dead alien who poked his head up. He shifted his attention back to the aliens in front of him, who were firing as they exited the shuttles in an attempt to keep from getting slaughtered as they exited. It was futile, and the Spartans continued to decimate the aliens as they fell back to the rally point, using mines to further delay the aliens. When they arrived at the rally point, they could see Olympia Team making their way to them, leapfrogging back. He could see the Lieutenant didn't have his helmet on, showing his dark red hair that was cut to military regulations. The other two were still in full armor, although there were a couple of scorch marks on their armor, along with the Lieutenant's. When they got behind the barricades that Shepard, John, Kelly, Fred, and Will had been using as cover, they could see just how bad they had been hit. There were dents in their armor, obviously from high caliber rounds, and the Lieutenant was limping.

Shepard said," You three look like hammered shit. What the hell happened?"

The Lieutenant said," Three of their tanks came up behind us, we didn't hear them because of the gunfire already going on. Lit us up, and then we were too close to the explosions and they scorched our armor."

Shepard shook her head, and asked," You guys alright?"

" We're good, Commander. Just have to get back to base for refit and some rest."

" Alright. Austin, plant that damn beacon. We're going to raze this place to the fucking ground."

" Got it Commander."

The Lieutenant dropped his battle rifle to the ground, and took the beacon that had been at the bottom of his back. He fiddled with it for a few seconds, before it turned red and he placed it on the ground. The IV picked up his battle, and nodded at Shepard, saying that it was ready, and that the airstrike would be in five minutes.

Shepard said," Fall back to the edge of the cliff. We'll jump down from there before the strike hits."

Fred and Will fell back first, with the rest of the assault team covering them. Kelly and Epps were next, Epps nearly taking a rocket to the back before Kelly threw a bubble shield down. When the two got behind the small wall that separated the base from the cliffs, where Fred and Will were waiting, they joined in the cover fire for the next group to run over. Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcus Brown, the CQC (Close Quarters Combat) specialist of Olympia Team, ran back next. John emptied another clip from his rifle before he was ordered to fall back by Shepard. He slung his assault rifle, and drawing his pistol, firing a few rounds into the crowd of aliens that were pushing forward, completely forgetting to take cover, before falling back. John was reminded of stories of the incident known as Black Hawk Down that Déjà had told his class about, where the Somali militia had just used massive amounts of people to try and overrun the elite troops. It had partial successes, as they managed to capture Durant and kill eighteen Americans and wound many more, but they took massive losses in the process. He cleared his thoughts as he ran, trying to focus on the situation. John moved a second before the sniper round passed by him, thankful for the upgraded hearing that the augmentations had given him. He jumped behind the wall when he reached it, and emptied the rest of his magazine before reloading his M6D.

John could see Shepard and the Lieutenant arguing, before Shepard drew herself together, and rushed off towards them. She ran zigzags as well to avoid the snipers, and had to roll a couple of times when the fire coming from Linda and the support gunner up on the rise went near her. When she jumped over the wall, she immediately started to pick off as many aliens as she could with her Battle Rifle.

John yelled," What's the Lieutenant doing, Commander?"

Shepard reloaded her Battle Rifle while yelling," He's making sure the aliens don't tamper with the beacon. He'll be leaving when the timer reaches thirty seconds. I gave him my jet pack so he'll be able to move faster."

John nodded, continuing to take down aliens with precision shots from his M6D. With two minutes left on the timer, Fred and Will jumped down from the cliff, surprising and killing a group of aliens who had been waiting for the Spartans to jump down. They told rest of the group that the base of the cliff was secured, and Kelly and Epps jumped down next, with John and Epps behind them. Brown was the next one down, and when there was only a minute before the airstrike hit, Shepard came down. The seven Spartans started to run back towards the LZ where the Rangers were waiting, occasionally turning around to see if the Lieutenant had started to fall back yet.

At forty-five seconds before the bombers hit, Linda said," Chief, Commander. The Lieutenant's hit."

Shepard yelled," What?"

" The Lieutenant took a bullet to the shoulder. Wait, he's up now. Okay, he's running to the cliff. Shit, he's down again."

As the bombing run was fifteen seconds away, John and the others could hear the sound of the Shortswords approaching.

Linda continued to update them on Austin's progress, " Okay. He's up again. The Lieutenant's almost at the wall. Shit, he took another hit. He's up, and running again. At the edge of the cliff-"

Linda was cut off as the bombs from the Shortswords hit, and the Spartans, watching the base, could see the Lieutenant using the jetpack to get off of the base. But it was too late, and the flames reached up and hit the pack, causing it to explode, and send him crashing into the ground. The Shortswords continued to hit the base with a couple of more passes, before flying off.

Over the radio, they heard," Spartan Commander, this is Kodiak 1. That base is totaled."

The pilots of the four bomber squadron had no idea that their bombs most likely killed the Lieutenant, and as the Ospreys carrying the Airborne QRF flew towards the base for mop-up operations, the Spartans, including Linda and the gunner who stayed with her, and the Rangers, went to where the Lieutenant's body lay. The IV's armor was dented and burnt everywhere, much like how it looked after the alien fighter had crashed into him, and his face was completely scratched up. His back was burnt due to the armor on his back having melted due to the massive heat of the bombs along with the jetpack explosion. There were broken bones, and several failed organs. As the QRF secured the base, a Pelican landed near them, letting off another squad of Airborne. Shepard picked up the Lieutenant, and carried him onto the Pelican, the rest of the Spartans following her onto the bird. The Rangers didn't get on, as they were helping the Airborne.

As the Pelican lifted off, the pilot said," Baseplate, this is Ultra 3-6. Ten Eagles aboard. They killed everybody on that base."

" Ultra 3-6, you're to go the _Warrior_ to drop off the Spartans."

" Got it, Baseplate. 3-6 out."

As the Pelican approached the _Warrior_, John said," Commander, I'm sorry for your loss."

Shepard, her eyes glistening from unshed tears, said," If there's one thing that I'm sure of, Chief, is that these bastards are going to pay. They're going to fucking pay if it's that the last thing I do."

No one on the Pelican or in the Systems Alliance would dare to say no.


	8. Invasion of Shanxi (Part Three)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect, nor Halo.

* * *

_"The Atmosphere Insertion Bay, known as the AIB, is the converted hangar where all clandestine atmospheric insertions take place. Required on all ships after the first successful atmospheric jump by ONISAD during the Insurrection, it provides an area for special operations units to prepare for the jump, and to receive last minute intel. The bay is capable of depressurization so that when the doors open, and let in the darkness of space, the teams don't get flung out of the ship at high velocities. When not in use, the bay is capable of holding up to sixteen Hornets or Falcons, or eight Pelicans. This is probably the best covert insertion technique since the invention of HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening)._"

-Colonel James Monroe, CO of 506th Airborne Regiment, the "Black Eagles"

* * *

(Six Hours Later)

Charles Antonio Lennox, the infamous SAD agent known as Sandman, stood in the Atmospheric Insertion Bay (AIB), checking Sandstorm's equipment while she checked his. Sandman had already checked Dune's equipment, who was currently checking the latest images of the Altroz Valley where they would be deploying to take out the AA guns and open the valley up for an attack by ODSTs. He tapped Sandstorm on the back of the head, letting her know she was good, and she did the same. Sandman pulled out his datapad from his pouch on his leg, and connected it to Dune's, and watched as the imagery from the satellites that were left intact, and from the spy planes that had been deployed. He looked closely at the images, and then circled three areas and marked them as OPs (Observation Points) from which they could call in MACs. The operative continued to mark Phase Lines and LZs as well for contingency plans.

Sandman glanced at the mission timer on his HUD, and saw that there was ten minutes left before the jump, and said, "We have ten minutes until we jump, Sandtrap. These three circled areas," here, Sandman put the imagery of the valley on the holotable where teams could do last minute briefings, "are OPs from which we can call in the MAC rounds. The yellow lines are Phase Lines, while the squares are possible LZs in case we need extraction."

Dune and Strom looked over the imagery, remembering the details, and then Strom said, "What are those?"

She highlighted what she was looking at, and when Sandman looked he saw that she had highlighted a set of spikes sticking up towards the sky.

Sandman said, "Those are known as 'dragon teeth' by the analysts. They convert the dead and wounded into a zombie-like form known as Husks."

Dune said, "Is a shot to the head going to take it down?"

"For these, yes."

The two operatives nodded their heads, not seeming to catch the hidden meaning behind the words, although Sandman suspected that Dune noticed from the way he looked back at him before turning to his datapad to give a call to his sister before they jumped. Sandman continued to look at the imagery, making slight modifications to his plan of action in case the op went to hell. Storm was reading an email from her father, who believed she was just a desk worker at CASTLE Base on Reach.

They were broken out of what they were doing when Drescher told them all, "Sandtrap, one minute until the jump. Good luck."

Dune, Sandman, and Storm heard the doors leading to the rest of the _Warrior_ close, and the AIB began to depressurize. Their specialized suits, known as PAALs, began to feed them oxygen through its own supply. Once the bay was depressurized, the bay opened up its large door leading to space, letting in the darkness. Due to it being depressurized, none of them were sucked out by what would've been a sudden force of winds if it had been pressurized. The muted yellow light turned to red, letting them know that there was thirty seconds until they jumped. With the calm of a professional who had done this many times already, they pulled back the bolts on their suppressed SRS99-S5 sniper rifles, the charging handles on their suppressed MA5K carbines, and the slides of their M6C/SOCOMs. When the light turned green, the three paramilitary officers ran and jumped out of the _Warrior_, letting space encompass them.

They activated their thruster packs as they made their way towards Shanxi's atmosphere. As they made their way, the SAD team could see Drescher's fleet mopping up what was left of the alien fleet. A stray lance of red from one of their point-defense weapons flew past them, close enough to where Sandman could feel the heat of the lance of energy. As they entered the atmosphere, and their thruster packs fell away, they could see the six Frigates that would be providing fire support moving to the Altroz Valley.

Their PALs fell away at 62,000 feet when they exited the atmosphere, revealing the parachutes on their backs, along with the wingsuits. They activated them, and started maneuvering to their target, only slowing down at 15,000 feet when they activated their parachutes. The parachutes were black so they could blend into the night sky of Shanxi, allowing them to land without drawing attention. When they did land, they cut their parachutes away, and folded them up before hiding them under the soil by digging a small hole with their shovels, then covering it up. Under the cover of night, they made their ways to the OPs, where they began to mark targets with their SOFLAMs for the Frigates, settling in for the hour until the Frigates would be over the AO.

General Desolas Arterius stepped out of the Kodiak shuttle, and smiled when he saw the squad of Blackwatch operators snap off salutes. He returned them, and walked to the waiting Mako that would take him to the command center, from which he would take control of operations on the ground. Arterius had been forced to abandon the _Burning Asunder_, which was currently doing just that due to hitting several stealth mines that the Dreadnought's systems didn't detect. He wouldn't forget the moment when the stealth ships appeared from nowhere, and watching them destroy what was left of his fleet as the Kodiak fled to the surface.

Arterius shook his head at the depressing thoughts, and looked out of the viewing port of the Mako. In the darkness, he couldn't see anything except for the muted glow from the Husks laying atop the spikes. He shuddered, thinking of the men and women he had ordered to become monsters in order to bolster his troop strength after several defeats to the Lawbreakers. Arterius gave a silent prayer of forgiveness before turning to Commander Vymnus who had been commanding ground operations after the death of Captain Actus in an artillery strike.

He asked, "How's the situation on the ground, Commander?"

The other Turian said, "Not good, General. Even with the deployment of the Husks, we are still losing ground rapidly. Their tactics are radically different from what we're used to. They have troops that drop from orbit in special pods that keep them from dying, and the only reason they haven't attacked here yet is our high concentration of AA. And even then, they may still attack. Their Special Operations, especially their Demons, are wiping out large amounts of our troops with minimal losses. 5th Commandos was wiped out in an attack made by ten of their Demons, with the whole base being destroyed in a bombing attack. The Lawbreakers only took one casualty. And with air superiority, they can use teams in the mountains, and call in airstrikes to take us out."

Arterius asked, "Is there any way to counter it?"

"A large amount of AA. And even then, they could attack us from orbit with their ships, if they're willing to destroy all of the homes in this valley."

They felt the Mako stop, and not wanting to the doors opened with the Blackwatch squad getting out first. Arterius and Vymnus followed them out, and walked into the command center. As they walked in, everyone saluted them until Arterius returned it. They walked to Vymnus's office, which was scanned for listening devices before they sat down.

The Commander asked, "Is there any way to get off of this planet alive without surrendering, General?"

Arterius leaned back in his own chair, and sighed, saying, "Not unless the Council sends a fleet which manages to defeat the Lawbreakers' own fleet, Commander. The best we can do is hold out until reinforcements arrive, or a peace is brokered. Do you think they'll manage to defeat us here, Commander? Even with all of these defenses you have set up? I want the truth."

Vymnus sighed, and said, "Yes, General, although they will suffer casualties. We're outnumbered, with no access to support. They do."

Arterius nodded, and said, "Well, we have time to prepare," unaware of the threat looming above their heads.

Sandman looked through the scope of his SRS99-S5 sniper rifle, watching the two heat signatures in what he presumed was an office. He had been watching the two officers since he noticed all of the activity start up when one came down in a shuttle. The operative checked his laser designator to make sure it was still marking the correct targets, and when satisfied it was, he looked back through his scope at the two high-ranking officers for another minute before observing the rest of the valley, which was full of alien troops.

He looked away from the scope upon hearing movement from the path in front of him, with the sounds letting him know there was at least one tank, known as a Mako, among them. Seeing the opportunity, he moved his sniper rifle into the foliage and reached for his C-12 foaming explosive, and waited for the patrol to pass by him. Sandman was able to attach the C-12 to the three tanks in the patrol without them noticing. Using a remote trigger, using a keyword or when his vitals flat lined, he would be able to destroy the tanks without them noticing what was about to happen, as they never checked the tanks for any sabotage. As they made their way back to the staging area where the other tanks were, he let a smile form on his face as he imagined the explosion.

Suddenly, a voice that wasn't Dune or Storm came across the net, saying, "Sandtrap, this is the _Paris_. The Battle Group is over the AO. Awaiting order to fire."

"_Paris_, Sandtrap. Give us a few minutes for something to get in place. You'll know when to fire."

"Roger that, Sandtrap."

Sandman watched as the tank made its way to the staging area, only taking four minutes.

Before he triggered the explosion, Sandman said, "Dune, Storm, get ready to go loud."

"Roger that, Sandman."

With that, Sandman said, "Apocalypse."

With the code word said, the receiver on the C-12 explosives beeped three times as it made it known it was there to the tank crews, a joke used by ONISAD whenever they used explosives. One of the tank crewmen, an Asari, found the source of the beeping a second before the explosives went off, and one of the armory officers back on the _Warrior_, who was looking at the visual feed from the explosives, laughed his ass off at the perfect 'Ah, shit' face. The resulting explosions, in the middle of a tank depot, was so high and bright, that one of the satellites from which Drescher was monitoring what was happening on the ground went fuzzy.

Lieutenant Mark Goldman, the communications officer of the _Paris_, figured that was the signal, and then gave the order to fire.

In the command center, Arterius was writing a message of surrender to the aliens after he had gotten a message from the Council telling him of a failed attempt to rescue them, which resulted in the loss of another Reaper and a Dreadnought, along with dozens of ships, before the rescue fleet even had a chance to engage. They told him to continue the fight until the last man, but with reports of mass surrenders reaching him as the aliens began to take back their planet in a massive counterattack with their air superiority and armor allowing them to wipe his soldiers into the ground. The aliens had fully retaken both of their cities, and were now attacking the other three base camps, which were being evacuated, with the surviving shuttles landing at his base camp.

As he finished writing his letter on the omni-tool, he turned to Vymnus, who was monitoring the COM chatter, and asked, "Do you have someone willing to surrender and deliver this to the aliens?"

Vymnus nodded, and said, "A Salarian scientist wants to observe these Lawbreakers patterns. I'll send him."

Arterius nodded, and said, "Very well, Commander. Send him."

Vymnus nodded, and went to speak into the intercom that connected the whole base, but before he could say anything, an explosion lit up the night sky. The Commander walked to the window, and gasped at what he saw. Arterius walked up behind him, and nearly gasped as well. The area for the Makos was now a burning wasteland, and all that was left of the Makos were burning hulks. He could see soldiers trying to put out the fires, and save some of their comrades who were on fire, but they weren't having any luck.

Arterius turned to Vymnus and said, "I want us on high alert. We would've known if that was an orbital strike. There's either a traitor, or those aliens are sabotagin-"

The Turian General was cut off as six explosions shook the ground with tremendous force, enough to cause dust to fall from the ceiling of his office. Fireballs shot into the sky, and as he looked up, he suddenly saw six streaks of light fall towards the sky, a second later another group of explosions went off. Arterius nearly broke down, when another round of devastating power hit the surface of Shanxi, right in the midst of the soldiers who were trying to put out the fires at the depot. Klaxons went off around the base as his troops ran to the bunkers, preparing for an assault and to protect themselves from the enemy ships firing from above. It soon became apparent though that the soldiers weren't the targets.

Vymnus said, "They're targeting the AA guns, General. It's an air attack."

Another klaxon suddenly joined with the other, as the base's VI announced, "All units, the last AA gun is down. The last AA gun is down. Prepare for air assault."

More massive rounds fell from the night sky, this time targeting the artillery guns, and opening the valley up for a ground assault. As more explosions, these smaller than the massive ones still hitting the surface, hit the ground, tearing into his troops, he realized that they were hitting them with artillery. And then more impacts hit the ground, this time small pods. From his spot looking out of the window, he could see the pods open up, revealing the aliens' shock forces heavily armed, and spitting out bullets with their primitive, yet still deadly, weapons. He heard several thuds coming from the roof of the building, and he realized that some of the shock troopers landed on the building. The Blackwatch squad that was his security quickly entered the office, with some staying outside of the office to allow him to escape out of the window if necessary. Vymnus reached into his desk, and pulled out two pistols, both of them M-77 Paladins. The Commander put in a heat sink in both of them, before handing one to Arterius, along with a couple of extra heat sinks. With their General armed, the Blackwatch squad relaxed slightly knowing that he could defend himself.

Arterius yelled out in shock as a hole appealed in the wall, followed by a thud. He looked around the room wildly, finally spotting a Blackwatch guard on the ground, a bullet having gone through his throat. Arterius thought it was just a stray bullet as he watched two other Blackwatch guards check the fallen soldier, but that thought proved false as another bullet slammed through the wall, followed by five more. As the last guard fell, Arterius and Vymnus ducked down behind the desk, and waited for the inevitable.

Private Adam Lennox laid on the roof of the invader's command post, covering another fire team as they approached a bunker that was occupied by a squad of enemies. He saw a head poke up from the bunker, and he quickly put a round through it, and chuckled softly when he saw the spray of blood. The ODST sniper idly wondered what his round had tumbled from, but then switched to his next target as he saw an alien with glowing blue energy at its hands. He aimed at center mass, and fired, but lifted his eyebrows in shock as he saw the shielding that the alien had hold the bullet back. The alien, obviously wary of another bullet, moved to cover, and Adam switched to thermal on his scope, then pulled the trigger again. This time there was nothing to block the heavy round, and the alien's chest ripped open as his round found its target.

Adam smiled when he saw the fireteam reach the bunker, and take out the aliens inside.

He jumped as his fireteam leader, Corporal George Hawkins, yelled, "Lennox, get your ass over here!"

Adam picked up his SRS99-S5 up, and slung it over his back, while putting his BR85HB in his grip.

He ran over to Hawkins, and asked, "Yes, sir?"

"There's a Priority Alpha target inside the building here. Command wants us to capture him, along with a Priority Bravo if possible. Mackenzie's team's going to join us. I want you on point. Let's move."

The ODST fireteam, consisting of six well-armed and trained shock troopers, ran to the edge of the command post, and dropped down next to the back door, from which they would be breaching the building while Sergeant Mackenzie's team would be breaching through the front. The squad of guards standing outside didn't have time to react as the ODST fireteam shot them all. They formed up on the back door, and Baker set an explosive charge on the door to blow it when Mackenzie gave the go order.

A minute later, over the squad's net, they could hear Mackenzie say, "Rodeo 3, this is Rodeo 2. You in position?"

"Rodeo 3's in position."

"Hit it."

Hawkins nodded to Baker, who blew the breaching charge on the door, with the charge on the front door planted by Mackenzie's team going off a second later. Adam ran in first, scanning for targets. Most of the aliens in the command structure didn't have anything heavier than pistols, although he saw a group of soldiers in the middle of the room with rifles. He fired a few bursts, taking down two of the aliens before rolling away and killing an alien who tried to flank around the small wall that divided the rest of the building from the entrances. The rest of the fireteam ran in, firing at targets as well. With Mackenzie's team firing from the other side as well, the command post was soon void of life except for the squad who had taken cover in the middle. Adam nodded at Baker, both of them pulling out fragmentation grenades.

They pulled the pins, and yelled out, "One, two, three!"

On three, they threw the frag grenades, which were on five second fuses. It took a second for the grenades to land among the soldiers, and in that last second of their lives, they stared at the grenades before they exploded and all they felt was pain, then nothing. With the soldiers either dead or wounded, the two fireteams rushed them, keeping the area in their sights. When they found them dead, they relaxed as they approached. But as a shot rang out, hitting Baker in the head, and denting his helmet, but luckily not penetrating it, the ODSTs turned to the source, an office. Two aliens were sitting up against a desk, and pointing pistols at them. Seeing that they were outnumbered, both aliens raised their pistols to their heads, and were about to squeeze the trigger, when Adam, realizing that they were the two Priority targets, shot them in their hands, forcing them to drop the pistols. As they stared, in an expression of terror, Hawkins and Adam walked over to the two aliens, and knocked them unconscious with the butt of their rifles to the face.

Hawkins brought up a picture of the two Priority targets, and compared them to the unconscious aliens. He nodded in satisfaction after a few moments, turning to Mackenzie with a thumbs up. The ODST Sergeant nodded, and turned away from them as he walked away, raising the Ell-Tee on COM. Adam saw Andrews, the fireteam's medic, checking Baker, and went over to them.

"How's Baker?"

Andrews looked up at Adam, and said, "He took a bullet to the head, how do you think he's doing? Luckily the bullet didn't get past the armor, although it dented it. He's unconscious, with a small concussion. He'll be alright, the lucky bastard."

"He's lucky alright."

Andrews, who had gone to monitoring Baker, asked, "Can you tell Sarge to call in an evac? It's not critical, but he should really get up to a ship."

Adam nodded, before walking away, calling out, "Sergeant?"

Mackenzie, who had just gotten off the COM with ONISAD Sandtrap, although he didn't know it, asked, "Yes, Private?"

"Andrews says that Baker needs an evac. He's not critical, but he should really get to a ship."

Mackenzie nodded, and said, "Evac's already inbound. ETA ten minutes. Prep the prisoners for transports, ONI wants them."

Adam nodded, and idly wondered why Mackenzie just didn't tell Hawkins that over the radio, then decided he would find out when he got to a leadership position, like his cousin Charles, who was in charge of an ONI public relations department on Reach, and a former Lieutenant in Airborne during the Insurrection. He shook his head, and then walked over to Hawkins.

"Mackenzie wants us to prep the prisoners. ONI wants them."

Hawkins just nodded as he watched Andrews making sure that nothing went wrong with Baker. His helmet was off, and as Adam walked away, he pretended that he didn't see the tears that were falling down Hawkins's face.

A.N.: So, I introduced the SAD team known as Sandtrap. And for those of you who most likely guess it, yes, Sandman is loosely based off of William Lennox from the Transformers movie series. Anyway, tell me what you think of Sandtrap, if you think I portrayed ONISAD correctly, or anything, even ideas you have. Hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"The M4A7. Modeled after the old M4/M16 series from the 20th and 21st Centuries, with some modifications. Using a fifty-round magazine loaded with specialized rounds made from hard light, this rifle will be the premier choice for any military unit. Tests showed that the hard-light rounds, modeled with the purpose of being an FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) version of the standard Forerunner rounds, have better bullet penetration than the MA5 series' own specialized penetrating rounds, going so far as to take only ten rounds to break through the famed shields of the Spartan-II's MJOLNIR armor, with another ten rounds to pierce through the armor itself. A much better track record than the MA5 series. Capable of being modified with different sights, stocks, magazines, barrels, pretty much anything, it can be used for any mission, any place. I have a feeling that the M4A7 and the UNSC will have a very good relationship."_

-Andrew Morgan, Director of Section Two of Misriah Armories, dedicated to the making of weapons for covert operations


	9. Interlude 1

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I wish I did.

* * *

_"So That Others May Live. The motto of the famed Parajumpers, the famed Air Force Special Operations personnel who risk their lives to save fellow soldiers in dangerous situations, often going under extreme conditions. Made famous in the 20th and 21st Centuries, the Parajumpers have proven time and time again exactly what they can do. The famous rescue of Rocker Nine on Reach brought more funding to the Parajumpers than ever before, with recruitment skyrocketing. Despite the standard of more recruitment meaning that there would be a smaller skill set, the Parajumpers have remained just as professional as ever, if not more so now. In the Insurrection, they were instrumental in bringing out high-value assets, often going deep into the Outer Colonies to rescue ONISAD and Detachment Alpha teams. They're going to be playing a big role in this war. I know it.  
_-General Kurt Abernathy, CINC of AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command)

* * *

Admiral Katherine Drescher stood in the bridge of the _Warrior_, looking at the Relay through which half of her fleet would be going through in order to secure the system on the other side, while the other half would go through slipspace. She sighed, and looked at the dog tags in her hand, before putting them away when the doors to the bridge slid open with a hiss. Drescher looked at the Master Chief as he walked in, taking off his helmet as he entered. The Spartan walked right up to her, his face hard, and she knew what was coming next.

His tone hard, he said, "What the hell was that down there, Katherine?"

Katherine flinched at him using her full name, as she knew it meant he was angry if he didn't call her Kat.

She said, "Chief, nothing went on down there."

"Bullshit. Those trope counts you gave me and Shepard, they were off by a lot. The Shortswords practically dropped a bomb on Hunt. Again, what the fuck happened down there?"

Katherine exhaled slowly, cursing the names Osman and Parangosky, and said, "ONI gave me the intel, and the Shortsword pilots were from the 19th."

John's eye grew tighter, and asked, "ONI? What's Parangosky up to?"

"I don't know. I'm not a seer or a mind reader, John."

John stared at her, before turning and walking out of the bridge, but not before saying, "If I find out that you actively helped them, Admiral, I'll make sure to pay a visit."  
Drescher shuddered, remembering the stories that she had heard about the IIs during the Insurrection. She stood there for a minute, before walking to where her datapad was lying. Picking it up, she typed in the password for a secure VidCom (Video Communication) to Osman. Walking into her office, she started the call.

When the call was answered, Osman started the conversation with, "Is it done?"

"Yes. I don't know why you wanted it done, but I did it. But John suspects that I helped, and he knows that ONI was the reason he died."  
Osman rubbed her hand through her hair, and said, "There must be sacrifices made for victory. You've gotten the briefings, you know what they're like. There will be full-out war if we don't win the next battles, both public and secret. Hunt will play an important role, with him on the front lines."

Drescher said, "I doubt people will see it like we do, I mean look at Ackerson and Halsey for dam sake."

Osman said, "Don't worry, Katherine. They're never going to find out about what we've done, and what we're going to do. Remember our creed."

Drescher, who found the irony of the phrase, said, "So that others may live."

Osman nodded, and said, "A bit ironic that we adopted the Parajumpers motto in order to explain us killing people, isn't it? Anyway, I have the _Midsummer's Night Dream_ coming to pick up Hunt in twenty minutes. It's standard ONI procedure to dispose of dead Spartans, and they won't think anything of it. And Keyes a trusted member of the Circle."

Drescher nodded, and said, "Okay. Alright Osman, I'm getting a call from Sandtrap. Drescher out."

Katherine shut the connection, and leaned back in her seat, sighing. Sometimes she hated herself.

"So that others may live, indeed. I'll see you in Hell, Serin."

Sandman stood in the Pelican as it flared near the CP that the ODSTs had captured, along with the two Priority targets. He nodded at Dune and Storm, silently telling them to stay in the dropship. The SAD Operative walked out when the ramp lowered, not surprised to see the ODST fireteam pointing their rifles at him, a precaution taken by ODSTs after an ONISAD team went rogue and killed the ODST extraction team. They relaxed slightly when he didn't start shooting.

He said, "Where's the two prisoners?"

The fireteam leader said, "Follow me. They're inside."

The ODST led Sandman inside where the two prisoners were, and he noticed that the building had been turned into an aid station, with medics treating the wounded. They walked towards the middle of the room, where two ODSTs were standing guard at a door. As they neared, their names and rank popped up on his HUD, and he inhaled sharply when he saw that one of them was his cousin Adam, who was supposed to be on Harvest. Only his training prevented him from following the urge to hug his cousin. They entered the office, where another ODST was watching the two prisoners. Sandman motioned for them to stand, and knowing it was best not to be difficult, they did so and followed him out to the Pelican, the ODST behind them. They were cuffed to the Pelican, and after bidding the ODST good-bye, the Pelican lifted off.

Sandman took off his helmet, revealing his youthful face to the two Turians. He took the translator that Storm handed him, and turned it on. He nodded at Dune who turned the recorder on, while Strom pulled down the soundproof window, allowing the two pilots to hear the interrogation in order to provide witness statements. With those done, the interrogation began.

Sandman said, "This is the interrogation of General Desolas Arterius, the commander of the Citadel Council's invasion fleet, and Commander Girias Vymnus, the ground commander. Witnesses are ONISAD agents Dune and Sandstorm of SAD team Sandtrap, and the pilots of Pelican flight Omega-Neon-India Eight-Four. I am Sandman, operation commander of SAD team Sandtrap. The time is 0200, date 17 July 2360. Interrogation begins now."

He waited for a second before asking a question, knowing that the Turians would understand him thanks to the translator, "Are you General Desolas Arterius of the Council Race known as the Turian Hierarchy, commander of the 8th Strike Fleet?"

Momentarily shocked at the level of intel he had, Arterius said, "Yes, I am."

Sandman nodded, and said, "Sandtrap believes this to be the truth," turning to Vymnus, he asked, "Are you Girias Vymnus, of the Council Race known as the Turian Hierarchy, and a Commander within the 8th Strike Fleet?"

Vymnus nodded, and said, "Yes, I am."

"Sandtrap believes this to be the truth. General Arterius, why did the Council decide to attack?"

Sandman, who already knew why thanks to ALCRON back at ONI Sword Base on Reach sending him data that Orion, an AI that only the most important within ONI and HIGHCOM knew about, had gathered while on a hacking spree through the Council's systems, waited to see what Arterius would say.

Arterius said, "The Council has laws that govern its races and territory, and the activation of Relays is one of them. You were activating one, and the Council had to act."

"Did they even consider the fact that we had no knowledge of said law?"

"The Council, which has enjoyed absolute power for more than a thousand years, has grown arrogant, believing that everyone knows of them and their laws, especially Sparatus, our own Council member. Despite the attempt of cooler heads to prevail, the Council told us to go to war."

Sandman nodded, already knowing that it had been Tevos, not Valern, to support Sparatus, and asked, "Were they the ones who ordered the orbital bombardment of our cities, resulting in the death of two thousand non-combatants?"

Here, Arterius and Vymnus shifted nervously, as the General said, "Ah, no. That was a call I had to make, hoping that it would save some of my men's lives to get back to their families."

At a gesture from Sandman, Dune turned off the recorder while Storm turned off the camera, and had the soundproof panel go back up, not letting any sound escape the bay and into the cockpit, allowing the SAD team to get away with pretty much anything.

(Warning! Torture Ahead!)

Sandman stood up, as Arterius stuttered out, "What are you doing? It is not prop-"

The Turian was cut off when Sandman's armored fist hit his face, and a crack announced a broken bone or two. Sandman punched him in the stomach, knocking his breath out. After more punches to the face and stomach, the SAD agent turned his attention to Vymnus. Instead of throwing punches like with Arterius, Sandman drew his M6C/SOCOM and kneecapped him, causing the Turian to scream out in pain. Sandman proceeded to kick him in the knee, causing it to pop out of place and making Vymnus scream in even more pain. He calmly kneecapped Arterius and kicked said knee out of place before holstering his pistol. Nodding to Dune, he sat back down to converse with Storm.

Dune stood up, and walked to one of the Turians, and drew his Nightshade VXS Special. He stood there for a second, before driving it into the knee that Sandman had kneecapped and kicked out of place, effectively ruining it beyond any possible fix, and causing Arterius to scream in even more pain, getting louder as Dune twisted the blade. When he pulled the blade out, there was a piece of the knee with it, making the General scream out in even more pain. He smirked inside his helmet, and then stuck the knife in the Turian's shoulder.

Desolas panted at the pain, trying not to break down and start telling secrets. He had to go through torture in order to be a Blackwatch operative, but it had been nothing like this. The General cried out again as Dune pulled out his knife, and his world went into the welcome darkness that signified he was unconscious. Dune proceeded to do the same with Vymnus, until the Turian passed out from the pain as well.

(Torture Over)

Dune sheathed his knife, and sat back down, saying, "Fuckin' pussies."

Sandman and Storm chuckled at that, before Sandman checked his HUD, and saw that there was a half-hour before the Pelican met up with the _Midsummer's Night Dream_.

He asked, "We have a half-hour until we get to the _Night_. You want a go, Storm?"

(Warning! More torture ahead! Seriously, run if you're male!)

Storm stood and walked to a hidden compartment in the blood bay, and sent the code to open it. When it opened with a hiss, she reached in and came out with a drill, causing Dune and Sandman to wince inside their helmets, knowing what was going to happen. Osman and Parangosky had practically ingrained into every female agent's head what to do to cause a male extreme pain. She woke the two Turians by punching them in their faces, before showing them the drill. If what happened next hadn't been so horrifying to the two male SAD agents, they would've laughed at the looks of horror on their faces.

Smirking inside her helmet, Storm took the drill and used it on Arterius's one good knee, causing him to yell out as his good knee was ruined. She held the drill there for a couple of seconds until the tip poked out of the other side of the knee. When it did so, she took it out and shoved it into his hand, making him scram out again, until the drill hit the seats, sending metal shards into Arterius's hand, causing more pain. Storm then took the drill, and with a huge malicious smile on her face, used it on his family jewels, causing Arterius to scream even louder than before, enough so that the pilots heard it a bit, making them wince alongside Dune and Sandman, knowing the only source that could cause a male such pain. After holding it for a full minute, the Turian General collapsed unconscious due to the pain, and Storm took the drill out, smirking. All the males shuddered and winced as she did the same to Vymnus until he passed out, lasting five minutes, the poor fellow.

(Torture Over)

The rest of the Pelican ride was spent in silence, and when they got to the _Night_, they passed the two prisoners over to ONISAD Anvil, who all winced when they saw the stated of the Turians. After the transfer, Anvil's team leader, Stump, pulled Sandman aside.

Stump asked, "What the hell did Storm do?"

Sandman winced at the reminder, and said, "You don't want to know. But you saw Hera in action, except with a scalpel instead of a drill."

Stump winced and shook his head, and said, "I'm just glad that Osman and Parangosky don't let them practice on us. Anyway, good job down there."

Sandman watched as Stump walked away, and wondered about the upcoming war. As much as he hoped there wouldn't be too much bloodshed, he found himself wishing for the war to continue. Shaking his head, he went to congratulate Storm on her torture technique, shuddering as he did so.

* * *

_"You want to know about Detachment Alpha? Everything about them? Well if that's what you want, then who am I to deny what you wish. Detachment Alpha is the unit that makes the Insurrectionists think not twice, not three times, but ten times about fighting. With a reputation of being more ruthless than ONISAD, Detachment Alpha is the group that makes the Innies who scare ONISAD afraid. Started ten years after the start of the Insurrection when it became clear to HIGHCOM that the fast strikes with elite teams were doing the best against the Innies, Detachment Alpha quickly became something to fear. Made up of battle-hardened ODSTs going through ONISAD training, only a bit toned down since the ODSTs never got augmentations. Under ONI's operation control, they often hit the targets that ONISAD couldn't, often suicide missions that didn't seem to do much for a heavy sacrifice. With the creation of the IIs, Detachment Alpha quickly became a suicide unit, until Ackerson made the IIIs. Out of a job, Detachment Alpha became little more than ruthless mercenaries that ONI often hired during these times. Several notable operations include the Massacre of New Harmony, where they slaughtered two thousand people in an assault on an Insurrectionist-held city, the bombing of Epsilon Indi, where they sabotaged a hundred freighters bound to Insurrectionist strongholds, killing upwards of three thousand, and then the attack on Merrylium, where twelve members attacked a major Insurrectionist hangout and community, killing six hundred children, and over three hundred families total. Only two of their members were killed. Led by the ruthless Ginger and Hades, Detachment Alpha was charged with crimes against Humanity, war crimes, and a massive list of other crimes. Due to the sensitivity of their missions, and the Insurrection being what it was, not one member of Detachment Alpha was kicked out of the military, or even fined. All that happened was the disbanding of the Detachment, and ONI covering all of their tracks. Maybe Detachment Alpha's still out there, as another unit with ONI or HIGHCOM. Or maybe some of them joined regular units, or went into the criminal underworld, as they knew nothing but killing after over twenty years of warfare. It's a scary thought isn't it? And you just earned their ire with bringing them back into the spotlight. I pity you."_

-Six, former Director of ONI Black and Covert Operations, during the Trial of Frederick Pederson of Tribute v. Detachment Alpha, seconds before the judge, jury, Six, and Pederson were all brutally murdered in a targeted attack on the courtroom by unknown assailants

* * *

A.N.: So, what do you think? Just kind of an interlude, and just showing the ruthlessness of ONISAD. Tell me what you think. Anyway, I hate to put this here, but I have a poll up on whether or not I should do a Hunger Games story. If you're interested, please vote. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	10. Interlude 2

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for any original ideas.

* * *

_"The Infinity. Five kilometers long, it is the best ship the UNSC has to offer. 490 centimeters of Titanium-A3 plating, it can handle the firepower of six Marathon-class Cruisers. Armed with four MACs, over three hundred Archer missile pods, two hundred Rapier missile pods, several Onagers, and an energy projector, the Infinity could give a Forerunner warship a run for its money. It's currently scheduled to search for the remaining Halo Installations and Shield Worlds alongside Battle Group Dakota."_

_-Captain Andrew Del Rio, HIGHCOM Briefing Officer_

* * *

Captain Mark Andersen, CO of the ONI Stealth Frigate _Midsummer's Night Dream_, stood in the bridge, looking out of the window at the fleet that had been assembled within the Shanxi system. The veteran ONI Captain turned when he heard the steps of someone in light armor, SPI2 armor to be exact. SPI2 (Semi-Powered Infiltration Model 2) armor was the successor to the original SPI armor used by the S-IIIs and other SOF during the Insurrection, combining the SPI stealth systems and the GEN2 armor, providing an armor capable of stealth for a large period of time and not sacrificing protection.

He looked at the person in the SPI2 armor, and asked, "Yes, Panther?"

Panther was the leader of the SOG (Special Operations Group) team known as Wolfpack. He had been in SOG since the third year of the Insurrection, eventually becoming the de factor commander of SOG, although Rear Admiral Cody Ojeda was the de jure leader. Even to Andersen, who had been on the ground in heavy fighting several times during the Insurrection, Panther was a scary son of a bitch.

The SOG operative said, "Message from Osman. She wants my team to pick up Hunt."

Andersen sighed, shook his head, and knowing that Panther could possibly kill him for denying him, said, "No. It's suspicious enough that the 19th involved itself with a fire support mission not related to ONISAD or ONI at all, and that we're picking up the dead Spartan instead of him getting picked up by a Prowler just makes it even more suspicious. Already, the Master Chief is on to us. We're going to have Disposal Two do it. Unless you want the IVs and Blue Team, along with Sandtrap , having knowledge that something's happening with Hunt involved. No just a feeling or conjecture that won't stand up in court, but conjecture that will make a court order an investigation, since SOG never involves itself in these things, and it'll get a lot of attention. If Osman and Parangosky want SAD, Spartans, and the rest of the UNSC on Cerberus's trail, they'll have to tell me themselves."

Panther looked at the Captain for a minute, making Andersen wonder if the SOG operative would kill him, before he took the datapad off of his hip and started a call to Osman, handing it to Andersen. Andersen looked at it, and waited for Osman to answer.

When Osman, sitting at her desk inside the Shield World known as the Apex, which had been cleared of the Flood by a joint ONI and ECHELON, ONI's counterpart with the former Covenant races, answered the call, she asked, "What are you doing on Panther's datapad, Andersen?"

Andersen, who had been Osman's handler when she was an asset before joining ONI, said, "He's the one who initiated the call, ma'm."

"Well what is the call about?"

"He said that you want Wolfpack to pick up the IV?"

Osman nodded, and said, "Yes. It's going to be suspicious, but we have Hood behind us. Doesn't like the idea of Cerberus, but he knows the danger that the Council poses to us. We can win on the ground, and in space, due to our advantage that their kinetic barriers are based on the speed of mass effect-enhanced rounds, and our ballistic rounds aren't fast enough to cause the barrier to flare up. Once production begins with the new barrier begins, our advantage will be lost though. And with them outnumbering us three to one, they'll be able to overrun us eventually. He's willing to do this, as Cerberus will be able to keep the Council busy, as long as the public doesn't know about it being created by us. If the plan works, the Chief will have enough doubt to not tell Hood. And those not directly involved, are cut of the loop. Eventually, Cerberus will have recruits not from ONI and ECHELON. And then everything connected to the initial maneuver, is going to be taken out. Including me."

Andersen, who had known of the elimination part, was surprised that even Osman would be eliminated.

He said, "Very well, Admiral. I'll have Disposal Two replaced with Wolfpack."

The Captain waited until Osman closed the connection before handing the datapad to Panther, and said, "Be at Hangar Twelve in ten minutes. If you're not there, I'll send Disposal Two. We have a time schedule to maintain."

Panther nodded, snapped a salute that hadn't deteriorated since his days as an ODST, then left the bridge.

Commander Nathan Waaraabe, his XO, said, "That is one scary son-of-a-bitch."

As the crew made their agreement known, Andersen, who had an image to maintain, privately thought, '_Yes, he is'_ then ordered them to get back to work. They had a lot to do.

On the Shield World known as the Apex, Rear Admiral Serin Osman, Deputy Director of ONI, sat at her desk, writing out her resignation from ONI, as called for in the plan. She took the pen, and signed her name at the bottom, before putting it in an envelope. The failed S-II stood up, and handed the envelope to Giant, an SOG agent, who walked out of the ONI MOUNTAIN Base, her destination the Prowler that was holding station at the orbital elevator that had been constructed. Osman closed the door behind Giant, and looked out of the bulletproof window at the training grounds that had been constructed for Cerberus. Already the first recruits, approached by UNSC operatives within the UNSC, were being trained by the SOG teams that were sent here. She could see the grounds where ECHELON, the former Covenant races' counterpart to ONI, were training Unggoy. Although they were no longer cannon fodder, they were still uneducated in military tactics. They were learning how to use cover for protection, using TTR rounds to get the point across. She smiled, watching a Kig-Yar sniper take down a group of Unggoy charging him without having to reload.

As she looked back at the grounds where her SOG teams were, she saw Gremlin, the leader of Atlas, looking up at her. When he saw that she noticed him, he made a gesture for her to go down there. Osman nodded, and Gremlin turned away to go back watching Troll, Atlas's sniper, instructing the recruits on urban operations. Within seven months of training under the SOG operatives, the batch of recruits would be up to the level of standard SAD operatives.

As she locked the door to her office, she nodded to Blackbird, the SOG team assigned as her bodyguards. They followed her at a respectable distance, enough so she didn't really notice them. When she got to Gremlin, Elf was talking to the recruits about the Urban Warfare Center, a VR room that taught SAD operatives urban fighting. Troll was busy setting up a position from which he would snipe and defend against the recruits, a platoon made up of Airborne and ODSTs. She decided to watch, and stood next to Gremlin. When the training platoon got inside, they were immediately put under fire when one of the platoon's squad leaders took a bullet to the head. The program sent an electrical shock to his system, making him fall unconscious. Luckily for the platoon they didn't freeze up, and quickly took cover. But unfortunately for them, they didn't recognize the set-up of the URC. Gremlin had the field look like the city of Talvos, which had been the site of a major operation between SAD and SOG teams against the Insurrectionists. Almost a quarter of the SAD teams assigned to the op had been wiped out going against the Insurrectionists, who were supported by the colony world's warlords and other criminal elements. Osman knew from reading his file that Gremlin had been the operation commander for the operation, and felt guilty for the loss of so many operators.

As she watched the platoon get their bearings and start running across intersections to flush out Troll by figuring out where the bullets hit, she quickly figured out that Troll had situated himself on the roof of the city's Justice Building, hidden within the smoke coming out from the vents on top that was heating the building due to the Center having the city in winter, and making it look natural, going so far as to have civilians hidden within the buildings, and a couple of squads of enemies throughout the city, that were slowly closing in on the platoon. It was twenty minutes later, and only ten members of the platoon left when they finally discovered Troll's position, and that being due to him emptying a clip into them, and taking out the three paratroopers covering the rear. With the remaining recruits being all ODSTs, it quickly became obvious that the paratroopers had been holding them back, most likely being unsure if they could keep up. While Airborne was just as elite as the ODSTs, the paratroopers didn't have to rely on squad formation as much as the ODSTs since support was a lot easier to get to them than it was to get to the shock troopers.

The ODSTs quickly showed why they were called Shock Troopers, managing to avoid most of Troll's traps that he had set, although one of them jumped on a grenade that a trip wire had activated. When they reached the door that led to the roof, one of them kicked it down and quickly sprinted across the small path between the door and the nearest vent, taking cover behind it. Troll, who had decided to wait for the fourth person to start running in order to divide the ODSTs, was patient, although he entertained the thought of shooting the ODST through the vent. The marvel of the VR room was that to them, it was the real world, instead of using TTR rounds they used actual rounds, although it was all in their minds.

When the fourth ODST ran across, a bullet went through his head, and making the other two still in the stairway pause. And that pause was all Troll needed. He leaped over the vent he had been taking cover behind, and drew his pistol while slinging the sniper rifle, sprinting towards the ODSTs. The SOG operative fired two rounds, hitting one of the ODSTs in the head when he poked out to see what was happening, before he pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade, counted to three, and threw it down the stairwell. With the two seconds left of the fuse, there wasn't enough time for them to take cover from the grenade or for one of them to jump on it, and it exploded, taking the two ODSTs out. Only two ODSTs were left, with Troll being on their left flank. Troll reloaded his pistol, and then primed a flashbang grenade, waiting for three seconds before throwing it. A flashbang, much like its name suggested, would emit a bright flash that would blind someone and a bang that would cause the ears to ring. Luckily for the ODSTs, their helmets protected them from normal flashbangs, but the flashbang that Troll had thrown wasn't normal.

When the 'bang went off, both ODSTs were blinded and deafened, allowing the SOG agent to rush them without detection. But the ODSTs, both of whom had fought in the Insurrection, were smart, and timed the arrival of Troll. Right when Troll came around the corner, the two ODSTs sprayed the area with a clip each from their assault rifles. With sixty-four rounds covering a small area, Troll took a bullet to the face, causing the simulation to let out a ringing noise and stop the simulation, bringing everyone back to the real world. Two medics checked everyone, as the VR program had been known to cause some damage to the brain and nerves to operatives, but everyone was good to go. The training platoon was taken to the training grounds, where Troll and Elf were standing on the stage, and were shown a replay of the fighting. With the show over, Osman turned to Gremlin.

Gremlin said, "The 3rd just reported in. The Flood Den's back, and they lost two of their men. They destroyed the Den, and posted a platoon to watch it. No dice on the missing fireteam though."

Although the Apex had been secured, the Flood on the Shield World had evolved to where they couldn't be completely eradicated without using DEWs (Direct Energy Weapons). For the two years that the Apex had been the HQ for Kilo-5 and ECHELON's Section Seven, it had been a constant fight to keep it under their control. The 3rd Guards, formerly known as Group Seven of Blackwater Universal, had been fighting the Flood for the duration, and slowly managing to completely clear the Apex of the Flood. But a fireteam had gone missing while out on patrol, meaning that a Flood structure had popped up and they missed it. They had sent a company out, and it had been cleaning out the Manka Canyon out, as that been the patrol's last position.

"Damn. So that leaves the River Basin and the Perthenes. Is ECHELON doing anything?"

Gremlin, who was the head of security on the Apex, coordinating the efforts of each organization to clear the Flood, said, "They're trying to find out exactly what had happened, and they're sending their Detachment Five to check it out. See if they can find any trails. I have a company going with them as protection."

Osman nodded, and said, "Make sure you find that fireteam. If the Flood's coming back in an area we missed, I want the Apex evacuated of all non-essential non-combat personnel. I take it that the Sentinels aren't getting any better?"

Gremlin shook his head, saying, "No. They'll protect the entrance to the Shield World, and our HQ, but that's it. The scientists don't know what made their coding change, but they're working on it. They're confident it will only be a couple of weeks before they fix it."

Osman nodded, "Good. The quicker we get the Sentinels online, the better. They're the only ones who can completely get rid of the Flood, at the moment anyway."

Gremlin nodded, having been part of the effort to secure the Apex, and saw firsthand the effectiveness of the Sentinels when they cleared the Flood off of the hulls of the Battle Group that had been assembled.

He asked, "How long until HYPOTHERMIA begins?"

"After peace is made. If we start it during the fighting, Hood's going to freak out and halt everything, and go on the defensive, fearing that we would attack. It will make the war last longer, and we don't want that."

Gremlin nodded, then said, "Looks like I'm going to have to go. They're going through the Course for the first time, and I want to see it."

Osman nodded, and said, "Ah, the Course. Fond memories. Well, nice chat Gremlin."

With that, Osman left and went back to her office, from which she made a secure call to the _Point of No Return_ in an undisclosed location. Parangosky answered it, and held up a finger as she finished talking to Neil Ojeda about something.

When Ojeda closed the door, Parangosky asked, "Yes?"

"The Flood is coming back in areas that we missed. If this continues, the Apex is going to have to be evacuated. I'm ordering an evacuation of all non-essential non-combat personnel, just in case. ECHELON's doing the same."

The Head of ONI nodded, and said, "Did you ever find that missing fireteam?"

Osman shook her head, and said, "No. And the 3rd lost two people clearing the Manka Canyon. They're going to be searching the Perthenes tomorrow."

"What's the status of the Sentinels?"

Osman grimaced, saying, "A couple of weeks until the programming is fixed. I'm considering stopping all patrols and just hold out until the Sentinels are fully operational. But I know that the patrols are currently keeping the Flood from getting too strong."

Parangosky said, "Keep searching Osman. In other areas, the _Midsummer_'s ETA is ten hours. I trust that the Lazarus Cell is ready?"

The Lazarus Cell was an ONISAD-SOG team implanted within the Christian terror group known as the Apostles. These Christians were essentially purists, believing that the former Covenant races, the Spartans, and anybody that used augmentations to be an insult to God. They were mainly Catholics, and had a rather large support group within the Catholic circles, but they were far from a threat. The only thing they did was occasionally throw rocks at Covenant species, and once they kidnapped, tortured, and killed thirty-two Unggoy, which brought a joint ECHELON-ONISAD operation on their leadership.

Osman nodded, and said, "Yes. They say it will take two years, but it'll get done."

"Good. Make sure that everything goes smoothly. Parangosky out."

When Parangosky closed the connection, Osman sent a call to Naomi. Naomi, who had officially been made a member of ONI with the rest of Kilo-5, was currently in CASTLE Base on Reach.

She answered the call, asking, "Yes, Admiral?"

"Start getting ready. The _Midsummer_'s going to be there in ten hours, then to Lazarus. Andersen's going to hold for fifteen minutes. He's got a schedule to keep."

Naomi said, "We'll be ready."

"Good."

Osman cut the connection, sighed, and leaned back in her chair. She suddenly leaned forward, and opened a drawer. Pulling out a bottle of scotch, a glass, and a picture, she set the three items on the desk, before closing the drawer. Pouring the scotch into the glass, she threw it back before pouring another. As she looked at the picture, she threw it back again, then skipped refilling and just grabbed the bottle.

With guilt over what she would be doing, even though it was for the betterment of Humanity, she whispered to the picture, "Forgive me."

That was the last thing she did with her cognitive abilities before drinking herself into unconscious. When they heard the smack of her head on the desk, Blackbird came in and cleaned the mess up, as they found themselves doing about two times a week when things caught up to Osman. They carried her to her bed, and then stood guard outside of her room. The next morning, they pretended that nothing had happened.

A.N.: So just a filler, as I couldn't find any sort of inspiration for an actual chapter that shows what happens next, and by the time I did get that inspiration, this was already started and had a mind of its own. So tell me what you think, especially since Hood is in support of Cerberus.

HELP: Okay, so this deals with my personal life. If you airsoft, please help me. I just got a new AK47, a Tokyo Marui full metal and black, with a metal IRS system. What I need help with is deciding what to put on it. I know that I'm going to put on a spare Gemtech suppressor that I have, and hook up a Travis Lipo battery, but I have no clue what I'm going to do after that. If you have any ideas, please send them!

* * *

_"The Insurrection. People say it's over, but if they knew the truth, they would be up in arms. Sixteen red zones, and over thirty yellow. But Section One and Hood have done an excellent job keeping it out of the papers. Warlords, Innies, mercenaries, terrorists, you name it, the red zones have it. Lawlessness rules, but it's the perfect stomping ground for practice. We have it contained, their not spreading, as it's in their best interest to stay under the radar. A couple of raids here and there will keep the more bold ones from trying to attract attention. But don't take them lightly, while they have a lot of in-fighting, they love to unite for a good battle against someone from the UNSC."_

_-Vice Admiral Margaret Parangosky on the red zones_


	11. Retaliation (Space)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

_"The MV-28 Osprey dropship. Its design comes directly from the old MV-22 Osprey VTOL used by the former United States Marine Corps in the 21st Century. A dropship, its engines are capable of becoming VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) once it hits atmosphere. Success after success has proven that the design is much more safe than the old Pelican, and already the Helix Air Corporation is making the MV-32, this time it will be much faster, have a heavier carrying capacity, and will be more heavily armed. I have a feeling that the Osprey will go very far."_

_-Brigadier General Weyland Smith, Air Force Research & Development_

* * *

On the ASC _Warrior_, Shepard grabbed the M395 DMR and screwed the Trident Suppressor on to the barrel before putting it on her back. She grabbed the M6C/SOCOM and put it on her hip, then did the same with another. Checking her equipment, which included her Voodoo Jetpack, an assortment of knives, flashbangs, and fragmentation grenades, and other items, she then walked out of the armory and into the AIB where Blue Team and Fireteam Olympia were waiting for her. When she stood next to the briefing table, Halverston, the ONI briefing officer, started.

"Good, we're all here. Now, down to business. This planet is a military base, made during the fighting for Shanxi. Currently guarded by over a hundred ships, this battle will be a strategic and political victory if we win, showing that we can win on their turf. Airborne, Marines, ODSTs, and Rangers, along with Dugout and Royalty teams are deploying to the surface to take out the multiple bases there. But this," here, Halverston pulled up a picture of the planet taken from a Prowler, and zoomed in, "is what you will be doing. At geosynchronous orbit, this base we believe will be providing reinforcements groundside during the fighting, along with providing an exfiltration spot. Containing three hundred special operators, this base could potentially be a hazard when the Council sends a fleet to retake the system. We could destroy it with a MAC, but the base could be useful as a giant bomb if we start to lose the battle. You'll be going in by jetpack, as the base has defensive weapons that can seek out a dropship or a Buzzsaw, but they're not strong enough to sense the jetpacks. The _Aegis Fate_ will be your support, able to extract or send reinforcements if needed. We have identified a Tier Three HVI, who can be taken dead or alive, whichever is easier. Any questions?"

"What about Sandtrap?"

This was asked by the Chief, and Halverston said, "Sandtrap has their own mission."

The Spartans accepted this, then Shepard asked, "Is the amount of troops accurate this time?"  
Halverston looked guilty for a moment, before he schooled his features, and said, "It's based off their records, so we're not sure."

There were no more questions, and Halverston left, leaving the Spartans to themselves. Will and Fred began talking to themselves about the newest weaponry again, with Kelly and Linda joining in. Fireteam Olympia were talking quietly about something. The Chief was silent, staring at the briefing table, which showed a picture of the base. Shepard decided to come up with a plan of action, and joined him in staring at the picture while thinking. When they felt the _Warrior_ shudder as it transitioned from being still to moving, with the Aladdin telling everybody to get to their stations, the two leaders looked at each other, both knowing that the other had their own plan of action.

Shepard said, "Yours first."

The S-II nodded, and said, "We insert into the hanger here. It's to the back of the base, and a long way from the barracks. Fred and one of your IVs stay to keep it secure for evac, or reinforcements. The control room is nearby, so we hit that, and turn off all of their defensive capabilities and shields. If you want to, we can turn off life support, which will be the easiest route to secure the base. We make sure they can't get the defenses back online, and then we head down to the mess hall. If we move fast enough, we'll be able to beat the reinforcements from the barracks there, and able to trap them on their side of the base. The whole time we'll be pursued, but we'll be slowly decreasing their strength. After taking out the reinforcements from the barracks, or trapping them, we head back to the hangar, fighting through our pursuers. And then we hold out at the hangar, until we figure out what the survivors are going to do. They'll either hold out, making them easy pickings, or try to engage us. Either way, they die and we take the base."

Shepard thought it over, and said, "Ok, that's a better plan than I had, although pretty similar. I was planning on control room, then hangar, but the hangar is probably the better place to insert at."

As they agreed on the plan of action, the Aladdin announced, "All personnel, we are about to go through the Relay."

Immediately the air was tense. During the counterattack on Shanxi, it was less tense because they were focused on getting the aliens out of Alliance territory. Now they were going in to unknown space. When they heard Aladdin announce that they were going through the Relay, the Spartans checked their weapons one last time, waiting for the shudder of the _Warrior_ firing its MAC. When it came, they activated their suits' supplies of oxygen as the AIB began to depressurize. As they felt the _Warrior_ shudder, this time not firing, the Spartans tensed again. But when the door to the AIB opened, and the sounds of ships firing got to them, they relaxed at hearing the sounds of battle.

Shepard saw the ready light turn green, and yelled, "Let's move, Sierras!"

The nine Spartans took a running jump out of the AIB, their boots allowing them to stay on the deck. When they were out of the AIB, they activated the jetpacks, heading towards the base. But right when they got outside of the Cruiser's shields, a round from an Asari Cruiser hit them. The resulting blast took out Olympia-Four.

Epps, now the CO of Fireteam Olympia yelled, "Watson's down! That fucking blast took him out!"

The eight Spartans continued on, knowing that they didn't have time to search for his body. Already ships were deploying forces groundside. As they made their way to the base, Linda, who wasn't the best shot in the ASC for nothing, took shots at enemy fighters, managing to hit a couple. When they finally reached the base, most of the Council fleet had been destroyed, caught between Drescher's half of the fleet that had surged through the Relay, and the half that had gone through slipspace. They made their way to the hangar, which was open to allow the deployment of reinforcements to the surface if needed. Turning their jetpacks off, they floated the rest of the way to the hangar. They had timed it just right to where they weren't spotted, giving them time to move to favorable positions, using their motion trackers to avoid the aliens. But their cover was blown when Linda shot a Turian who had almost caught Fred unaware.

Unfortunately for the Council forces, the Spartans had gotten to good positions. With the kinetic barriers employed by Council forces made to stop mass effect-enhanced rounds, they weren't made to stop the much slower ballistic weapons. And the Spartans' energy shields were able to handle the faster rounds, although they were depleted at a slightly faster rate. The pitched firefight lasted thirty minutes, and one the hangar was secured, the Spartans regrouped.

Shepard said, "Fred, Graham, I want this hangar to remain open to us, in case we need a ride out. Got it?"

Fred and Graham Markowitz, Olympia-Three, nodded, and Shepard said, "Good. Let's move. Epps, you're on point. Will, get our rear."

The Spartans took their positions, with Shepard behind Epps, Kelly behind her, the Chief behind Kelly, and Linda between John and Will. They made their way to the control room of the base, using a copy of a map to the base given to them by Halverston. When they got to the door, Shepard took two lines of detcord, and placed them on the door. The detcord was specially made for door breaching. The Sierras made their way to safe spots, with Epps in position to lead the way into the control room. The detcord went off, blowing the door open, and the Spartans ran in. Through the smoke, Shepard could see two targets, and raised her M395, firing two shots to their domes. When the smoke cleared, the three Salarians who had been manning the control room were dead, along with two Asari and six Turians, one of which was their VIP. Epps took a quick picture of the dead VIP's face with his helmet's camera, and had it sent to Halverston to confirm. Will quickly turned off the thrusters that kept the base moving with the planet so they could remain in the same spot when they deployed, the defense weapons, and the shields, then placed a pound of old C-7 Foaming Explosive. Not as good as the C-12, the C-7 wasn't strong enough to put a hole in the hull, but enough to make getting the defense weapons online a bitch. Will blew the charge when they were leaving, completely wrecking the control room. The Spartans made their way to the mess hall, which was halfway between them and the barracks.

They sprinted there, managing to beat the reinforcements coming from the barracks. A trap was made for the reinforcements, so they wouldn't have to worry about fighting on two sides. When the reinforcements from the barracks entered the mess hall, unaware of the trap, C-7 explosive went off, destroying the only way out from their side of the mess hall, and covering it with rubble, killing thirteen aliens and separating the survivors into two groups, one inside the mess hall, and one outside.

Within a kill box, the group was screwed as the Spartans opened fire. They quickly dropped, and the Spartans left the mess hall before the other group cleared the rubble. As they pushed their way to the hangar through the pursuing forces, Shepard decided to call in reinforcements.

Using her new callsign given to her by Halverston for this mission, she called to the _Aegis Fate_, "Aegis Control, this is Roughneck One, over."

The communications officer on the _Aegis_ replied, "We hear you, Roughneck One."

"Are the Marines ready to rock?"

"Yes they are, Roughneck One."

"Good. Send them over here, the hangar will be marked. They deserve some action."

"Got it, One. ETA ten mikes."

"Thank you, Aegis Control. Roughneck One out."

Shepard switched channels, and said, "Fred, Shepard. I need you to light up your tag. The Marines are coming."

Fred did so, and got into a firing position when Shepard said, "We're on the way to the hangar, and we're getting chased by a sizable force. Be ready to cover our asses."

When the Spartans entered the hangar, they quickly took cover positions. Fred and Linda were positioned up high, so they could have a turkey shoot with their sniper rifle and LMG. Shepard, Graham, and Kelly were towards the rear of the hangar, allowing them to engage targets from range with their marksman rifles. John, Epps, and Will were the closest to the door, their weapons more suited to getting up close and personal. When the first Turian entered the hangar, he was surprised none of the Spartans, and told his comrades it was clear to move. But the Spartans were patient, and wanted to lull the enemy combatants into a false sense of security.

As the thirteenth combatant entered the hangar, Shepard whispered into the COM, "Sierras, engage."

The eight Spartans opened fire, quickly taking down the enemies in the hangar, and some still outside of it. It quickly became a stalemate, with each side unable to push forward or retreat, due to a C-12 explosive placed in the hallway cutting the aliens off. The two forces were evenly matched in the confines of the hallway, making Spartans in the hangar, not liking being outnumbered in such a small space. But when the company of Marines arrived, the balance was shifted.

With two hundred warriors, the company surged through the hallway, quickly taking out the Council forces. While the combat engineers assigned to the company began placing explosives to clear the hallway, the CO of the company walked over to Shepard.

"You Shepard? I'm Lieutenant Lu, commander of this outfit."

By the way Lu had talked, it was obvious that he had no love for the Spartans.

Shepard nodded, and making an effort to remain cordial, said, "Yes, I am. And excellent work on clearing that hall."

Lu merely replied, "Ten of my men died," here he gestured towards a medic was checking the bodies, "and sixteen were wounded. I thought Spartans were supposed to be the best."

John was about to say something, but Shepard beat him to the punch.

"Listen Lieutenant. Supersoldiers we may be, but we're not invincible, nor are we idiots. That hallway was a kill zone, and our shields can take only so much. If we had more than eight, then I would've pressed an attack. But I'm trying to keep my people alive. Now get your ass in line, and let's get the fuck out of here. I don't know about you, but the less time the enemy have to prepare for us, the better for us."

Lu looked at Shepard, then nodded, saying, "Of course, Commander. Forgive me for stepping out of line. This is the first time in combat for me."

Shepard said, "Of course Lieutenant. It's hard on us all."

With that out of the way, the Lieutenant told the engineers to blow the explosives. Their placement allowed holes in the rubble big enough to allow the Marines and Spartans to get through. When they reached the mess hall, they discovered that the Council forces were still stranded by the rubble.

Lu commented, "They didn't build this base very well, did they?"

That got a few chuckles from the Spartans and full-out laughs from the Marines. Shepard, Lu, and John took the time to come up with a plan of action. After a couple of minutes, they had come up with one. The engineers would set explosives on the rubble and walls, then blow them. This would open up three holes into the enemies, and a platoon from the company along with two Spartans would go through each hole. The shock attack would hopefully be enough to wipe out the remaining combatants.

Shepard and the Chief divided up the Spartans with him and Linda together, Will and Epps, and then Shepard and Kelly. They went to the platoons that they chose for themselves, and waited for the engineers to detonate the explosives. When the explosions went off, doing their job perfectly, they rushed out of the mess hall and engaged what was left of the Council forces. Shepard, Kelly, and the platoon they had gone with went through the hole in the rubble, surprising the Turians and Asari Commandos on the other side. But before they could take them out, one of the Commandos activated her biotics.

Unseen in the Battle of Shanxi because the ranges were too difficult for the biotics to be used, and the Marine snipers normally noticed them glowing blue. But in this close quarters engagement, it was a perfect time to unleash them. The Commando threw a Singularity down the hall, hitting a fireteam. As the fireteam floated upwards, they managed to get some semblance of order before the other aliens could fire at them, and started to shoot. Unfortunately two of them were killed before the Asari had to drop them, but one of her comrades threw a Warp at the two remaining Marines. Knowing that the glowing blue meant something bad was about to happen, they tried to move out of the way. But only one made it, and the other was quickly killed. Shocked at the sudden extinction of a fireteam, the Marines paused for a second before they pressed the attack with even more fierceness, quickly overwhelming the defenders. At the end of the hallway, which formed a T-junction with another hallway, they linked up with other two platoons. Lu who had been with Epps's platoon, was checking a bandage on his arm, looked up when he heard Shepard walk over, while they were waiting on Graham to get to the control room to tell them where there were enemies at.

Shepard said, "We lost a fireteam, Lu. I'm sorry, but there was no time to react. A blue energy had just lifted them up, allowing them to be shot. And then a second blue energy strike finished them off."

Lu looked at Shepard for a moment, then said, "It's alright, Commander. These bastards will pay."

Shepard nodded, but before she could reply, Graham, at the control room, said, "Commander, it's Graham. I'm looking at the cameras and life support system, and it looks like there's no one left between you and the barracks, which have ten sources of life. You guys wiped them out."

"Keep looking, and check for electronic signals linked to explosives. I don't want this station to explode with us in it. We'll be moving towards the barracks then."

Turning towards Lu, she said, "We're clear to the barracks. And there's ten in there. But I want your men attentive, heads on a swivel. Speak up if they think there's something not right."

"Got it, Commander."

While Lu went to talk to his officers and squad leaders, Shepard walked over to John, "Graham says it's clear to the barracks, where there's ten signs of life. The rest of the base is clear. I don't like it."

"Yeah. Reminds me of the Sargasso Incident."

"Sargasso Incident?"

"Yeah, Innies had an ODP made when they took control of the system. They fired once before the battle group put us and an ODST platoon on it. Generators were disabled by an ODST drop, but when we got to the station, it was empty. They had laced the place with explosives, and when they detonated it, Sam was gone along with the ODSTs."

Shepard nodded, and said, "I've had an off feeling since we've got here. I'm tempted to call in a MAC. But let's hit the barracks. If we see something not right, we'll evac."

The Spartans and Marines made their way to the barracks on the orbital base, moving slow. Judging from their comments, the Marines were a little freaked by the dead base. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary though, they made their way to the barracks. Epps kicked in the door to the barracks, sending the sliding door flying. There was nothing, until he saw a blinking red dot.

Epps yelled, "Bomb!"

They hit the deck, just as the bomb went off, disorienting everyone, and killing some Marines.

When Shepard got back to her feet, she yelled, "Haymaker, you there?"

Haymaker was Lu's callsign, and he replied, "Yeah. Sound off!"

There were weak calls by the platoon leaders, although one was said by a platoon sergeant. They checked the casualties, and found that the company, originally two hundred strong, was at eighty percent combat capability, or a hundred and sixty strong. What happened next though was worse.

Back at the control room, a timer had just appeared, counting down from fifteen minutes, and the sensors just lit up, showing Graham a lot of explosives.

He yelled, "Commander, Graham! Sensors just lit up, explosives are all over this fucking place! There's a counter, we got fifteen minutes to get the hell out of here!"

Back at what had been the barracks, Shepard said, "Got it. Get back to the hangar, we'll meet you there."

Then to everyone else, "Alright. We got fifteen minutes to get off this damned place. Now let's move!"

As the Marines and Sierras ran in a somewhat orderly fashion, Shepard got on comms with the _Aegis_, "Aegis, Roughneck One. This base is coming apart in fourteen minutes. We need evac."

Back at the _Aegis_, the Commanding Officer, Commander Nicholas Freemont, took over from the COMs officer, and said, "Got it, Roughneck One. Evac is inbound, one Pelican. The Marines Pelicans are still there. ETA thirteen minutes."

"Damn it! Anything faster?"

"Negative. A counterattack on the ground has taken up most of our air assets. Nothing closer, unless you want freefall."

It was when Shepard smacked into a wall when she took too tight of a turn for her boots to handle that she remembered they had jetpacks. But if they used them, it wouldn't be a sure thing that they would get out from the explosive radius fast enough. As they ran towards the hangar, behind the Marines to make sure none were left behind, a plan formed in Shepard's mind.

She got back with the _Aegis_, saying, "Aegis, tell that Pelican to hold station just outside the door, ramp open. There won't be enough time to close it."

Back on the _Aegis_, Freemont said, "Got it. Good luck, Sierra."

When they got to the hangar, with two minutes to spare, the Marines quickly boarded their own Pelicans. With no room for the Spartans, the dropships left the base, reluctantly leaving the Spartans. One minute before the explosives went off, the Pelican to extract the Spartans arrived.

The pilot said, "Roughneck One, Goliath Three. I hear you needed a lift?"

Not bothering to reply, the Spartans jumped from the hangar to the Pelican, and once they were all on, the Pelican quickly made its exit, at a speed where the Spartans' boots were on a hundred percent magnetization. With the ramp opened, they were able to see the base explode. Safely away, the Pelican pilot raised its ramp, and the Spartans allowed themselves to react.

Epps, as the Pelican got within sight of the _Aegis_, which would be their new home until Drescher could spare a ride, asked, "It's not over yet, is it?"

Shepard said, "Not. It's just getting started."

* * *

A.N.: So do you guys like? Ground battle in next chapter. So, no one ever gave any suggestions for my airsoft gun, but oh well, I already have it figured out. But anyway, yesterday we celebrated my dad's 50th birthday, and I flew back up to Illinois to surprise him. It was awesome!

* * *

To Critiquer (Guest): Alright, your reviews actually got my attention, and because you're a guest, I can't reply to you throw a PM, so here are the answers to your critiques, questions, reviews, etc.  
Tier One is indeed meant to be the best, but when I first started it and I was trying to figure out the N-ranks (N1-N7) I got royally confused. I'm probably just going to redact it since there's really no need for the N-rankings really.  
Sandman is actually something I got from Modern Warfare Three, he leads the Delta Force unit known as Metal Team. I could see where you could think I stole him from Andrithir since Sandman is one of his ONISAD characters. But I honestly had no plans to steal his character, and I just couldn't resist putting Sandman in when I replayed the MW3 campaign. ONISAD is actually something you can find on Halo Wikia under the fanon section of it. And when I did that chapter, I believe I did say that I had permission from Andrithir to use ONISAD. SAD is actually a part of CIA nowadays, so if I really wanted to be a thief, I could've just lied and said I got ONISAD from the current SAD.  
Okay, the review where you said I'm rushing, I actually did believe I was rushing the story, but I'm just really excited because for me, this story is popular, even though you can't even find it on the first page in the crossovers section. And the part where I said Detachment Alpha does operations that ONISAD can't do, it's mainly operations where ONI can't be caught, or a mission that will result in most operators, if not every operator, dying. Then where I'm stealing other people's work, and portraying it as my own. That I can actually see happening in this story, just because I've read so many crossovers, and I guess I've been using some of their ideas, and I just don't remember that I read it somewhere. Because the only three crossovers I read now in this section is Andrithir's crossovers, the Onyx Stars by The Hidden Sith, and Primordial Soul's For Thy Mantle. And since I just don't remember getting an idea from a story that I'd read a really long time ago, then I don't make a note that I did get that idea from a different story. Silly reasoning, I know, but I'm learning.  
Red zones, yellow zones, green zones, other color zones. Those are terms in use today to describe places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. Just because Andrithir is the only to use it on fanfics currently (that I know of), doesn't mean I took it from him. It's just intelligence and military terminology. Like the Green Zone that had been in Baghdad. That was used to describe a part of Baghdad, and then a place like Sadr City in Baghdad would've been described as a Red Zone for a while.  
So I believe that covers all of your reviews. If you review again, could you please review from an actual account so I don't have to make a really long Author's Note again? It would make it a lot easier on me, and on readers as well.

* * *

_"Operation: Thunderbolt. A rapid hit on Corbulo Academy of Military Science on Circinius IV. Completely undetected by ONI. Sure there were whispers of an Insurrectionist fleet building up, but no one ever expected them to hit a school for a bunch of kids. Hastati Squad, the only survivors from the attack, and even then there were only three of them.  
__April Orenski: Now a Colonel with the ODSTs, she's a hardcore bitch. She's got the respect of her regiment, and has caught the attention of higher ups. Rumor has it that she was the platoon leader of Ginger's platoon. Of course that's true, but ONI managed to get her to keep silent about it.  
Michael Sullivan: A Major with Mil-int (Military Intelligence). He wrote the book on finding Insurrectionist bombs, and so is hated by those still out there. Guarded round the clock by Airborne, he's going to be someone needed for this war.  
Thomas Lasky: A Captain with the Navy, given command of the Infinity. Excellent officer, earns the respect of those under his command. Did a stint with the SEALS before being given a ship. His mother practically disowned him after the stint with the SEALS, even though he only did it to do more than command a ship during the Insurrection. He is both Admiral Cole's and Admiral Hood's protege, with both of them seeing him as the next person for Hood's job. May be pursuing a relationship with one Commander Sarah Palmer, based on information from Agent Oregon.  
Their attached bios are in the file. I give these three my recommendation to be made the primaries in Colossus.  
(Note: Whispers in Sector Seven are showing some hints of STG trying to find information. Dispatched Monrovia to check it out, and if possible, eliminate the search.)_

_-[Redacted] to [Redacted]_


	12. Retaliation (Ground)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I'm not making money off of this.

* * *

_"Let's get these bastards. I want everyone one of them dead. See how they like losing their children and families!"_

_-Hades, during the Massacre of New Harmony, to Detachment Alpha_

* * *

On the surface of Noveria, the Council military planet under attack by the ASC, the battle wasn't going near as well as it did on space. Having two days to prepare for a possible counterattack gave the defenders a large advantage. Only two of the five targeted bases on the surface were in Alliance hands, and officers were nonexistent on the frontlines, so NCOs were leading units. One of these NCOs, Master Sergeant (yes, I know it's supposed to be First Sergeant, but for the sake of this story, for Airborne and Rangers it's going to be Master Sergeant) Derek Westbrook (yes, Frost from Modern Warfare Three) was the acting CO of Gamma Company, 506th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment, and yes, it was an actual Regiment in World War Two, home to the Band of Brothers-famed Easy Company), 101st Airborne Division (the Screaming Eagles). Known as the Ninjas, the 506th PIR specialized in night operations, and as night descended over the planet, and the Marines prepared for another assault, the Ninjas were called in.

Currently, Westbrook was lying down in the mud on top of a hill overlooking one of the bases that remained outside of Marine control, observing it through NVBs (Night Vision Binoculars). After the ground assault had hit traps and the advanced stalled, Brigadier General Daniel Reed, leading the assault on this base, had called in Gamma to open up the base for attack. He looked away from his NVBs, and turned towards Staff Sergeants Dylan Baker and Samuel Whitmore, the leaders of Second and Third Platoons respectively. Westbrook would be leading First Platoon along with the company.

The Master Sergeant whispered, "There's a set of stairs built into the rock. It's not visible from where the Marines are, so they don't have a large guard detail on it. Right below the stairs is a door. I want to see if we can get people inside the base that way, but only after we have the stairs secured. Once we get those two AA guns taken out, I'll call Reed. Hopefully we'll have the base by daylight. Let's move."

The three NCOs left to start moving towards the base. They had taken up leading the company during the Battle of Shanxi after all of the officers were killed in an attack on an enemy FSB (Fire Support Base). Once Westbrook got to First Platoon's location, he told the squad and fireteam leaders what they would be doing. Under the small amount of light that the illumination rounds that the artillery batteries back at FSB Gibson were throwing up, they made their way to the stairs leading up to the base, making sure not to attract attention. The base had its own arty, which was keeping the Marines' artillery back to where they couldn't hit the base, since the aliens' was more accurate, and won most duels on Shanxi.

When they reached the stairs, Westbrook and First Platoon made their way up the stairs, with Whitmore and Third Platoon following behind them, leaving Baker and Second Platoon to try the door once the stairs were secured. At the top of the stairs, the two Turian guards were dropped with suppressed bursts from their M7Ss, not attracting any unwanted attention. With the stairs secured, Baker and his platoon went through the door, which surprisingly opened at their touch, and they surprised a bunch of Salarians.

Although outgunned, one of the technologically-efficient aliens activated his omni-blade and stabbed one of the paratroopers in the stomach. The sudden death of one of their comrades caused the others to open fire on the lone Salarian. This allowed another Salarian to move towards two buttons, getting close enough to fall on them when bullets from a M7S took him down. When the buttons were hit, an alarm started wailing, followed by an EMP that fried any unprotected electronics.

This caused an immediate advantage for the paras when the only system in the base that didn't shut down was the alarm and the communications. The motion trackers used by the Council forces shut down, leaving them blind, along with their VI and automated defense systems, although their omni-tools were fine as well. For the paras, their equipment was protected from EMPs, a standard for all units after an Insurrectionist trap using an EMP had changed the odds on a raid. This allowed them to see the aliens before they could thanks to the motion trackers and VISR. With these, the paras made quick work of the closest defenders.

When Baker's platoon continued pushing through the underground system that had been built underneath the base, they met stiffer and stiffer resistance. Already two more paras were down, and judging from what they could see with their VISRs, there would be more joining them. Baker, seeing that they needed to change their tactics or there wouldn't be anyone left in the platoon before they could reach the surface, grabbed a Mk.9 flashbang, more commonly known as a 9-bang, and threw it into the next cavernous room, then followed it in before it exploded. His visor darkened in order to protect him from the flash and muted all noises coming from outside to protect him from the bang. When the 9-bang had gone off, the systems returned to normal, and he quickly took down the Turians and Asari in the room.

Apparently the aliens had a resistance to the effects of a flashbang that allowed them to recover faster than a human. But with the knowledge that his armor could protect him from the effects since it recognized the 9-bang, that was no longer a problem. With that, the paras quickly made their way for the surface, but when they reached the ramp leading out of the underground system, they saw a platoon of Turians mixed with Asari Commandos in their way. As Baker threw a fragmentation grenade, he knew they were in for a fight.

Elsewhere in the base, Whitmore's platoon had made their way to one of the two AA guns, which was being guarded by its crew along with a Turian platoon. The paras had the high ground, and had managed to not be seen by the guards, allowing them to surround the emplacement. Unfortunately they were out of rockets due to hitting a motor pool on the way to the gun, and so had to fight their way through the guards. With an order from Whitmore, the paras opened fire. The gun crew wasn't a trained combat unit, and unfortunately for them, the paras were. They were devastated, and the Turian platoon, although fighting valiantly, was taken down as well. With no guards on the AA gun, the paras set a C-12 explosive on it, and when they were at a safe distance, the AA gun exploded.

The Council forces knew they were in trouble, and tried to consolidate around the second AA gun, but Westbrook and his platoon were already there. All it took was a single shot from the M41, and the Council forces knew they were in an untenable position immediately, since they lost their deterrent to air assault.

And as Westbrook called to Reed, "General, AA guns are out. It's open," their fates were sealed.

* * *

Up in an Osprey dropship, First Lieutenant Charles Wright stood up from his seat when he heard the code word for the descent of the dropships. Wright, the CO of Echo Company 2/5, looked at the platoon he was with, and smiled slightly. Although they barely did anything on Shanxi, the company had performed well, and he was confident they would do so again.

Wright said, "Alright Marines, we fought well on Shanxi, but that was home turf, this time it's their turf. Stay calm, don't freak out. Always keep your head on a swivel, it's open here, and multiple places to get hit from."

The Osprey started to descend, and the Marines tensed up. Wright listened to the updates from the pilots, who described the scene on the ground as chaos. The Council forces had rallied around the artillery guns, and had kept the pars from getting through, but the paras had managed to push them past one of the rows of arty. There was heavy close quarters, even hand-to-hand, which the enemy was winning at because of the hardlight blades they could form out of a gauntlet on their arms.

One of the pilots yelled, "Whoa!", when an artillery piece exploded from a rocket fired by the paras. When his Osprey touched down, the ramp opened, and the Marines poured out. Gunfire poured in, dropping two of his men before they could even fire back. The Osprey lifted off, but a shout of "RPG!" foretold its fate. The rocket slammed into an engine, and the Osprey began to tilt downwards. Wright could see the pilots trying to pull up, but it was too late, and the dropship slammed into the ground.

Knowing time was of the essence, Wright ran over to the cockpit, and being extremely careful, shot out the glass of the cockpit, allowing him to move around. Under heavy fire, he cut the straps of the pilot's seat, freeing the pilot. He carried him to the side of the dropship that was facing away from the enemy fire, and placed him against the metal of the Osprey. Checking the pilot's pulse, he smiled when he saw he was still alive. A quick check showed nothing was wrong except for some bruises, and having been knocked unconscious by the impact.

He picked up his MA5D, and let off a couple of bursts towards muzzle flashes in the dark. Feeling secure that he would be fine, Wright went back to the cockpit to grab the copilot, once again under heavy fire. He cut the straps and carried him back to the where the pilot was, and lied him down next to the pilot. Wright checked for a pulse again, and frowned when he saw it was weak. A check showed that he had internal bleeding from a broken rib going into one of his lungs. With nothing to help it, he called over a medic, who began to make her way forward amid the heavy fire. But before the medic could make it, the Osprey, which had been getting worse in condition due to the crash and a spreading engine fire, suddenly exploded, taking out Wright and the two pilots, leaving the medic with slight burns.

After seeing their CO killed, the company of Marines rallied, and surged forward. They caught the Council forces by surprise with their ferociousness, where one Marine even took a fallen tree branch and used it as a weapon when he ran out of ammo, managing to kill three Turians before he was shot in the back. When the company finished its surge, they were at twenty percent combat capability, but the Council forces were utterly decimated. As First Sergeant Alisha Keyes (not based off the singer, this is a combination of two of my friends' names (may make slightly related to Jacob and Miranda Keyes)) raised the flag of the Systems Alliance, they survivors of the attach cheered. With the loss of the base, the surface of the planet quickly followed. But there were still Council forces that remained mobile, managing to fight somewhat effectively. And one of those was the 22nd Mechanized Regiment, a Turian force augmented by mechs and Commandos.

* * *

As noon came about, the ONISAD team known as Sandtrap was very busy. Alongside the S-IV Fireteams Dugout and Royalty, they had been observing a Council force that stayed mobile to avoid getting trapped, in order to get an idea of their MO (modus operandi). Two companies of Marines had been slaughtered in order for the SOF units to have a better read on the Turians and Commandos. After the last attack, Sandman along with Dugout and Royalty Ones had come up with an idea.

They had set up an ambush along a bridge that Seabees had constructed to allow Marines to cross the river without being reliant on dropships. The bridge had been wired with enough C-12 to bring it down in the water, along with anything on it. With the unit split in half, the Turians and Asari would dismount and set up a perimeter in case of attack. They would deploy their mechs with them. This would allow an EWAI (Electronic Warfare Artificial Intelligence), Cortana, to hack into the mechs and turn them against their creators. And with an AI controlling them, any attempt to gain back control on the Council's part would fail. Cortana would herd the Turians and Asari then form a quarantine zone around them, allowing Dugout and Royalty to attack, with Sandtrap providing assistance. If all went well, Captain Arryus Virgis, the acting commander of the ground forces, would be on a dropship to the _Warrior_ within an hour.

As he heard the rumble of tanks, Sandman in the rocky hill on the east side of the bridge whispered into his mic, "Sandman here. Get ready, they're coming. Cortana, you good?"

Cortana, her chip in a dataport on the Destroyer _Illini_, said, "You know it. I won't even have to use a single percent of my processing power for this."

Sandman put the stock of the SRS99-S6 (Prototype) to his shoulder, and pulled the charging handle back, making it ready to shoot ten rounds of pure whoop ass, and said, "Yeah, don't get cocky on your first rodeo. Dugout, Royalty, you good?"

Dugout One, holding onto a fast rope that was dangling five thousand feet up from an Osprey dropship along with the rest of Dugout on the west side of the bridge, said, "Yep. Once the explosives go off, we'll be on the ground in twenty seconds. That fast enough for you, Cortana?"

"Oh yeah."

Royalty One gave a green light from his fast rope, too scared to talk. The upcoming combat wasn't scaring him, but the height he was at was, having been scared of heights since he fell off of a jungle gym when he was five. With Sandtrap giving him green lights, Sandman allowed his thoughts to drift towards the prototype that R&D Section S (Special) had given him to play with. The S6 sniper rifle was an attempt to bring the firepower of the M99 SASR (Model-99 Special Application Scope Rifle, or "Stanchion") into a more mobile setting. A mounted weapon, the Stanchion had its advantages and drawbacks, most often the high powered round it provided was made useless because it couldn't be brought to bear quickly unless one was already in the area. The S6 used the same Gauss technology, using advanced Forerunner technology to make it work with a S-series sniper rifle. Firing a larger round than the 5.4mm at the same speed and for an even greater distance, the S6 was thought to be the next generation sniper rifle. The only thing Sandman had a concern about was recoil.

Hearing the rumble of tanks get louder, he watched the road on the west side of the river leading to the bridge. Believing themselves to not have been rediscovered by the Alliance forces, the column began rolling across the bridge. When half of the column was on the bridge, and a quarter of it on each side, Sandman smiled, and prepared to detonate the explosives with a codeword.

"Showtime."

* * *

Dugout One, Lieutenant Allen Cook, gripped tight on the fast rope as the Osprey rocketed down towards the bridge. The plan had gone perfectly, and Cortana had forced the Turians and Asari to put their back sup against the cliffs overlooking the river, allowing open season for the S-IVs. As the pilot brought the Osprey down, Cook grabbed hold of his BR85HB with one hand.

The pilot yelled, "Ten seconds, Spartans!"

Ten seconds later, the Osprey suddenly hovered, and the Spartans began sliding down the fast ropes. When their boots touched ground, they moved to engage the enemy combatants while the Osprey went into a holding pattern. Cook took down two of them quickly, before he closed the distance between himself and a squad of aliens. He drew his energy sword, and thrust the superheated plasma blade into a Turian's chest, before pulling it out, and dislocating an Asari's knee when he kicked it. As her hands glowed blue, he punched her in the throat, hard enough to snap her neck. As the Asari fell, he killed two more Turians before her body even hit dirt, and moved to finish off the last Turian.

Cook brought his energy sword down, only to have it blocked by the Turian who drew his own omni-blade made of hardlight. But before Cook could take advantage of a mistake in the Turian's defense, a sharp crack rang through the area as the Turian's head exploded from a high powered round. He sent a silent thanks to Sandman as he went to engage the aliens with his Battle Rifle again.

Meanwhile, Dugout Two was engaging the Council forces from range with her M395 DMR. A YMIR mech controlled by Cortana moved past her, engaging a different squad of Turians before being hit by a rocket. Two quickly engaged the Asari who destroyed the mech, and smirked in satisfaction when the Asari dropped down into the water. She quickly sprinted when a machine gunner opened up from an armored troop carrier. A shot to the head dropped the gunner, and as the body collapsed inside, she followed it up with a grenade. She jumped down, and walked calmly away. When the carrier exploded, she had one thought.

'Awesome screenshot.'

* * *

On the other side of the river, Fireteam Royalty was engaging their part of the Regiment. One and Three were getting within close quarters, while Two and Four stayed back, all while under the watchful eyes of Sandtrap. It quickly became obvious that they had the VIP on their side when the aliens tried to break out and close distances instead of trying to hold out at range. One and Three both saw the squad of Turians mixed with Asari guarding another Turian close to the river, with the others protecting them. They immediately pushed forward, bypassing those in front of the squad, who were engaged by Two and Four, and Sandtrap up in the hills.

One emptied his clip from the M7 SMG into two Turians, before drawing his M6C/SOCOM and taking down an Asari before she could throw a Warp at him. Three, armed with his own M7 and M6C/SOCOM, knocked an Asari's feet out from under her, and put a burst straight through her noggin. With their combined efforts, the guard detail was eliminated, leaving Virgis on his lonesome with the two S-IVs. But before they could do anything, Virgis leaped off of the cliff and into the water.

Royalty One yelled, "No!"

Knowing that he couldn't swim, Virgis had decided to jump in the water and die than be captured, believing the propaganda spread by the Council. Fireteam Royalty mopped up what was left of the Regiment on their side of the river, before calling in what had happened.

"Sandman, Royalty One. Virgis jumped in the river."

Sandman cursed, and said, "Alright. Diego Three, this is Sandman. You mind picking up Royalty?"

The pilot of one of the two Ospreys said, "Not at all, Sandman. ETA thirty seconds."

As the three SOF units were extracted from the area heading back to the _Warrior_, Sandman had to wonder what would happen next.

* * *

A.N.: So, if most of you can't tell already, I'm kind of focusing all my time on this story, because a) I'm really excited about it, b) my muse for this story just comes up with scenes in the middle of writing a chapter for any of my stories, even Voldemort's Pets, c) I have a bunch of free time right now, and d) my muse for the other stories is just failing right now. Anyway, I'm trying to do a couple of updates a week, since I'm writing chapters so fast, that I'm running out of space on my laptop (I've written so many drafts, outlines, and actual chapters that I've taken up a three gig flash drive just for this story). If you guys have any questions, please ask. Thank you.

* * *

_"The Mk.6 ODP. This baby is loaded with a Mark VII Super MAC and a Mark II Light Energy Projector. So far only stationed at Earth and Reach, this baby won't let anything get through. And the best part? It's using Forerunner energy technology, and there are no generators. The only way to destroy it now is through blowing it up, and with a Cruiser and two Frigates guarding a single ODP round the clock, it's going to be extremely difficult. We won't allow another Reach to happen."_

_-Rear Admiral Allan Smith on the new ODPs at Earth and Reach_


	13. Peace

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, as usual.

* * *

_"What? There's been an attack? On whom? A new race? Uh, those who are currently watching this news network, we have breaking news. It appears that the Turian Hierarchy has attacked a new race for activating a dormant Mass Relay. Stay tuned for more information as it comes."_

_-Asari Newscaster Thedia_

* * *

Vice Admiral Preston Cole, CINC of the ASC Seventh Fleet, stood on the bridge of the supercarrier _Everest_, watching his crew go about their jobs as his fleet, consisting of a hundred and twenty two warships, and three Phoenix-class colony ships, was preparing to go into slipspace, along with the Fleet of Glorious Retribution made up of the former Covenant race. The two fleets would be going FTL to two different systems that were within Council space but had been skipped by the Relays. They would make a presence in those systems, making colonies, and expanding into other systems if needed. This would give the Alliance two fleets, or more depending on the colonists, that the Council had no way of knowing about, since the STG, Spectres, and Shadow Broker would be unable to find any records of their mission. All records would have the two fleets guarding the Ark.

Cole looked up when he heard the navigational officer, Lieutenant Junior Grade Ramon Gould, gasp. It was only the fact of his experiences that allowed him to stifle the gasp at the marvelous sight. The ASC _Infinity_, something only heard of in legends due to it being a secret that everybody knew of, but had no proof, was exiting slipspace amid an exodus of warships. The most powerful ship in the Alliance, even able to take out an Assault Carrier, it was being escorted by the fifty-two ship strong Battle Group Dakota, which would be taking over as the Shanxi Defense Fleet. Cole smiled seeing the _Infinity_, knowing that Lasky, his sort of protégé, would be on it. The massive ship barely made it through the Relay and he smirked, knowing that wherever the capital ship was going, it would make a massive splash. With their guard duty over, the Battle Group dispersed throughout the system as they got to a defensive position.

Preston looked up when he heard Lieutenant Chambers, the COMs officer, ask, "Sir?"

Seeing that he had his full attention, Chambers said, "Sir, the fleet is ready. _Wink of an Eye_ has said that the system is clear."

Cole looked at the report, then said, "Very well, let's go then."

In another mass exodus, ten minutes after the order was given, Cole and his fleet disappeared.

* * *

(Three Hours Earlier)

Parliament Building, New Jefferson, The Ark

**_Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance, Edward Gordon, stood behind his podium as he watched the Senators sitting down in the Parliament Building. He sighed, and looked down at the paper in front of him. A newly elected Prime Minister after it became known that his predecessor had been receiving bribes from the drug cartels and a couple of militias in the red zones, he knew that the press and Senators would try and tear him apart for allowing the destruction of a task force and allowing Shanxi to be invaded. Edward looked up when he had the feeling of all eyes on him, and smiled slightly when he saw that all Senators were present, a record since the first formation of the Parliament._**

**_He cleared his throat silently, before saying, "Senators, I am here today to address the catastrophe that has struck the people of Shanxi three days ago, and the future of this war. Just yesterday morning, we sent Vice Admiral Katherine Drescher and her Second Fleet through the Artifact of Shanxi, known as a Relay. We quickly secured the military planet on the other side, with the last engagement on the planet being at noon today. I am here today to ask you if you would rather continue this war, or would you rather have peace. This decision today, may very affect the future of our Alliance."_**

**_Gordon could see the Senators looking around, some he could tell were in support of the peace option, and some were in support of extending the war. But the rest were undecided. They were afraid of the Insurrection picking up again if they started another war, but they knew that they needed to take revenge on the Council for the two thousand non-combatant dead at Shanxi. As he fought down a smile, Gordon couldn't help but think what they would do if they knew what was happening in the background._**

**_An hour later, Gordon said, "So it's decided that we'll try for peace?"_**

**_Every Senator agreed, and he said, "Very well. May Goyle, and the Security Council come to the Security Chambers please?"_**

**_As the Senators filed out, Gordon caught the eye of Parangosky and Hood standing behind one of the walls, conversing quietly. He motioned for them to come with him, and when they passed General Strauss, he had him follow as well. When the three got to the Security Chambers, the meeting place of the Security Council, Senator Anita Goyle was already there, along with Air Force General Reinhardt, and Army Lieutenant General Monroe. In the next five minutes, the other Senators who made up the Security Council arrived, accompanied by Thel 'Vadam and Rtas Thadarmee, the two military leaders of the former Covenant races. Once everyone was seated, Gordon cleared his throat to get everyone's attention._**

**_"Now that we know our objective is peace, the question is how we do it. We know the locations of all of their planets thanks to Orion, and within hours, or minutes even if we use a Relay, we can attack any system they have. If we do a targeted strike, on say the Turian's homeworld of Palaven, they may back down, but if history proves itself to be true, the Turians' will just step up their efforts to eradicate us. Maybe an attack on their galactic center, the Citadel?"_**

**_Hood and 'Vadam looked at each other, before 'Vadam said, "Mr. Prime Minister, an attack on their galactic center would have the opposite effect of what I'm sure you're aiming for. If we attack, there is no doubt that we will win, especially if we work together on the attack. But they will be afraid of us, and will block us from entering their society successfully. Don't get me wrong, we will always be outsiders to them, but their civilians won't accept us, along with their governments. What may work will be a small battle group going to their Citadel, and contacting them about a peace. Maybe just seeing us at the Citadel so quickly will give them the incentive to accept peace."_**

**_Gordon considered it, and found himself nodding along with all of the others._**

**_He said, "Very well. I could see that working. What do you recommend, 'Vadam?"_**

**_"I would recommend sending the Shadow of Intent, augmented by a light Battle Group, maybe three or four CCS-class Battlecruisers. And definitely send the Infinity with the Apaches."_**

**_Gordon looked confused, and said, "The Apaches?"_**

**_Hood stepped in, and said, "The Apaches are the ten Charon-class Light Frigates that the Infinity is capable of carrying."_**

**_Gordon nodded, and said, "Never heard of them being known as the Apaches before. But yes, the Infinity would be an excellent choice. So that puts us with fifteen to sixteen ships going to the Citadel. Do you think they would find that threatening?"_**

**_Here, Thadarmee said, "No, sir. Their Citadel Defense Fleet numbers well over five hundred ships, with their weakest ship in the fleet being an equivalent to our Paris-class Heavy Frigate. The most powerful ship in their fleet is the equivalent of a Battlecruiser. Even with the Shadow of Intent and Infinity being as strong as they are, going against over five hundred ships would destroy them, but they would do damage."_**

**_Gordon nodded, and asked, "Are the Captains of the Shadow of Intent and Infinity somewhat diplomatic?"_**

**_'Vadam nodded, and said, "The Captain of the Shadow is a good friend of mine, Maruk 'Thoramee. He was the Captain of the first Sangheili ship to meet your species."_**

**_Hood said, "And Lasky is the Captain of the Infinity."_**

**_The Prime Minister said, "Thomas?"_**

**_"Of course. You thought we would put the Rear Admiral in charge of a ship like the Infinity? And Cadmon is still a ground pounder. He's actually a Brigadier General now."_**

**_Gordon, who had once served with Lasky's father and mother during the Insurrection, nodded, and said, "That's good. Lasky is definitely the more open one of their family, although Cadmon is a good guy. Anyway, do you all agree with the plan?"_**

**_The only one who didn't agree was Tartarus, the representative of the Jiralhanae, who was in favor of continuing the war._**

**_He was quickly shot down when 'Thadarmee said, "Like how you wanted to go to war with the Humans when you discovered Harvest?"_**

**_This caused all of the Humans in the room to glare at Tartarus, and even though he was larger than all of them, he had to back down at Strauss's and Hood's, as both of their combat skills were legendary even to the Jiralhanae._**

**_Gordon said, "Good. Hood, 'Vadam. I trust that you'll have the Infinity and Shadow ready to go ASAP?"_**

**_"Of course, sir."_**

**_"Good. Now, Goyle, you must be wondering why you're here?"_**

**_The Senator nodded, and Gordon said, "You're here because you are the most experienced Senator involved with diplomacy. You brokered the formation of the Systems Alliance when we first met the other races, and since you're the one with the most experience in diplomatic affairs with other races, I want you to be our head diplomat for the talks, if there are any."_**

**_Goyle thought for a minute, and said, "I'll do it, but I'll need to make a team."_**

**_"Of course, but please make it quick. The Infinity and Shadow will be leaving ASAP to try and get a peace or cease-fire."_**

**_Knowing that she was dismissed, Goyle left the room, leaving the Security Council alone._**

**_Gordon was the one to break the silence, with, "So, tell me more about Cerberus and Colossus."_**

* * *

(Present Time)

Captain Thomas Lasky stood in the bridge of the ASC _Infinity_, watching out the windows of the bridge as the massive five-kilometer ship travelled through slipspace. He sighed, before rereading the message he had received two months ago, after he was promoted to Captain and given the _Infinity_. It was the last message he had from her, and as he read through it, the Captain smiled thinly. His time with the SEALS, and his mother's response to the fact that he had requested it, had taught him that she only cared about her image, as the experiences other SEALS had when dealing with her, along with his own experiences, proven.

The message said that she was proud of him being promoted and receiving the honor of being given the _Infinity_, but the message itself was cold and impersonal, along with a hint of jealousy, that the son had been given it, and not her. Cadmon's message was the exact opposite, and he could tell that his brother really was happy for him. As he read through the message, he could see the hint that she was saying he wasn't level-headed enough for the job of commanding such a vessel, making him snort. He couldn't remember a time when his mother was level-headed. She had sent a Battle Group to their deaths during the Insurrection after ignoring information given to her from a Prowler, because of her dislike of spooks.

Lasky looked up when he heard the doors to the bridge slide open with a hiss, revealing Commander Sarah Palmer, CO of all Spartan Fireteams on the _Infinity_. She was in her GEN2 armor as always, with both of her pistols magnetized to her hips. The S-IV was a common sight in the bridge, and the crew ignored her in favor of doing their jobs.

Palmer said, "Crimson and Majestic are getting restless, they want some action. I had to entertain them with some old engagements in War Games."

Lasky chuckled slightly at the antics of the IVs, before saying, "Well, they may get some if this mission goes to hell. I doubt that the Council will appreciate our showing up on their front door, especially after the loss of one of their systems."

Palmer smirked, and said, "I would like to see them try."

Lasky's gaze became hard, still looking out of the window, and said, somewhat coldly, "You forget that we're outnumbered by enormous odds. There will be sixteen of us, and over five hundred of them. With their least powerful ship being equal to a Paris-class Frigate, I doubt we would survive them all coming after us and we try to stay and fight. We may be able to take a large amount with us, but we'll still be dead. I'm not willing to risk it, and plus we have a group of Senators onboard. As soon as the shit hits the fan, we're out."

Palmer looked at him, then nodded, seeing his logic. Even though the _Infinity_ was the most powerful ship in the Alliance, she knew that it wasn't indestructible. She remembered how the maiden voyage was postponed to install a honeycomb structure like the Halcyon-class Cruisers, increasing the amount of damage the ship could take. The Commander also remembered how long it took to move the Artifact from Installation 03 to Ivanoff Station.

Lasky sighed, and said, "Palmer, I want Crimson and Majestic prepped and ready to go. The other teams, too. We'll be leaving slipspace soon, and the faster they can mobilize if needed, the better."

Palmer nodded, and asked, "Tom, are you going if they agree to a meeting?"

Lasky nodded, and Palmer said, "I'll lead the detail personally."

With that, Palmer left the bridge to S-Deck, in order to prep the guard detail for the representatives. Lasky continued looking out of the window, until he heard a cough from behind him.

He turned to see Lieutenant Zach Morrissey standing behind him, and raised an eyebrow, prompting the Lieutenant to say, "Sir, we'll be exiting slipspace in fifteen minutes. The _Shadow_ and their Battle Group will be arriving at the same time."

Lasky nodded, and said, "I want Apaches One and Seven out immediately, before they have a chance to figure out that we have ships inside. As soon as we exit, start broadcasting the message on all channels."

"Yes, sir. And 'Thoramee wishes to talk to you, sir."

Lasky walked over to the Faraday-caged room where he held conversations over the monitors, and turned it on. 'Thoramee's face greeted him on the screen, and behind him, Lasky could see the Sangheili Honor Guard assigned to protect him.

The Sangheili said, "Captain, it is so good to see you again, my friend. When was the last time we talked?"

Lasky said, "Actium. And you very well know that, Fleet Master."

'Thoramee chuckled lightly, then said, "Yes, Actium. As you know, we are dropping out of slipspace soon. Do you mind if I accompany you with my own Honor Guard?"

"I don't mind, but if they do accept the talks, then you will have to talk to them about it."

"Of course, of course, Captain. What are you going to do if we are fired upon?"

Lasky sighed, and rubbed his nose at the irritating Sangheili. Even though he was a good person, Lasky personally found him aggravating.

"I have a group of Senators on board. If the shit hits the fan, I'm going to be firing a salvo from the MACs, then leave."

'Thoramee nodded, and said, "Excellent, excellent, Captain. We will cover your escape, and then follow you out."

Lasky said, "Good. Now, are you going to be broadcasting the message as well?"

"Yes, of course. I believe that is everything, Captain?"

"I believe so, Fleet Master. I'll see you later."

With that, Lasky cut the connection, and rubbed his temple, feeling the headache coming that he got when talking with 'Thoramee.

* * *

Matriarch Lidanya was seated in her chair within the CIC of the _Reaching Upwards_, the replacement for the _Destiny Ascension_ when the Dreadnought had become obsolete, reading the reports sent to the Council and forwarded to her from the frontlines. Despite the Turians' efforts to take back their planet and system which had been captured by the galactic newcomers, the Humans still had a foothold into Council space, with access to a Primary Relay, but luckily they hadn't tried to press the attack as far as they knew. The Matriarch knew it was a good thing, too, as she knew if the newcomers stayed with 1:3 odds, that the Council forces would be defeated, unless if the military commanders were upstanding and outthought the newcomers' commander.

She turned to a new channels when she finished with the last report, which was about the failure to take back the system with a third counterattack. The Matriarch muted the sound and turned on subtitles so as not to disturb her crew. Unsurprisingly, the newscaster had already gotten the news of the failed third counterattack, even though the Council knew of its defeat barely ten minutes ago. Sometimes the news networks had a better intelligence system than the STG. The Asari was interviewing two former Turian commanders, both of whom were trying to assure her that the system would be taken back and the newcomers sent back through the Relay. Lidanya didn't hold their confidence, as the Humans had time to bring reinforcements in through the Relay, and could possibly force the Turians' to go through a meat grinder in order to get the system back, only to lose it.

Her thoughts were broken when her sensors officer yelled, "Matriarch Lidanya, Matriarch Lidanya! You need to see this!"

Lidanya stood, and walked over to stand behind the officer, and asked, "Yes, Commander?"

The Commander pointed at the picture of the system in front of her, and said, "Look."

At first Lidanya didn't see it, but when it got bigger, Lidanya saw the anomaly that had gotten the officer's attention.

"What is it?"

The sensors officer's voice was laced with fear when she replied, "The newcomers' FTL, Matriarch. And it's bigger than anything we've seen."

Lidanya's eyes widened, then she yelled, "Alert the Council and Defense Fleet that the newcomers are here! I want our Thanix Cannons trained on the FTL!"

The Dreadnought's six Thanix Cannons, which required a huge amount of eezo, trained themselves on the anomaly, while the message was sent.

But everything changed when the sensors officer said, "Matriarch, five more anomalies just appeared."

"We're being attacked!"

* * *

Councilor Tevos stood in the Council Chambers with Sparatus and Valern, waiting for the delegates from the Systems Alliance to arrive. C-Sec snipers were up high, and Spectres had their guns trained on the door from some of the lower levels. If the delegates and their guard showed any sort of hostilities, they wouldn't make it out of the Council Chambers alive. And they were already lucky to be alive, since Matriarch Lidanya had heard the messages before the Defense Fleet could open fire. As she waited for the delegation to arrive, the Councilor studied her fellow Councilors.

Sparatus was angry, yet excited, for obvious reasons. He was angry due to the Humans and their allies making it to the Citadel with no hints of them doing so until their arrival, but he was excited to make a race that made excellent warriors. Tevos couldn't make a sure decision on what his decision would be, but was leaning more towards rejecting the peace attempts.

Valern on the other hand was excited to meet the new species, and possibly get some access to their technology. The Salarian would undoubtedly vote in favor of peace, even going so far as trying to get them to join the Council. Tevos knew that Valern would be the most supportive of the newcomers.

She didn't know how she would vote on the attempts for peace. If the war was ended, she would undoubtedly be able to live longer, but if they had terrorists, then they could mount an attack on the Citadel.

Her thoughts were broken when Garrus Vakarian, a high-ranking member of C-Sec walked in, and said, "Councilors, the Systems Alliance delegation is here."

There was a tenseness in the air as the Spectres and C-Sec snipers tightened their grips on their rifles, and prepared for an engagement. When the delegation entered, Tevos was somewhat fearful of them. Their guards were all heavily armored, and they were monstrous, especially the guards who wore helmets since she couldn't see their faces. As far as she could tell, there were three different species, the Humans, and two others.

Looking at her fellow Councilors, Tevos received two nods, and she looked at the delegates, before saying, "The Council welcomes to the Citadel, peacemakers."

With that, the discussion that would determine the fate of the war and possibly the fate of the galaxy began.

* * *

A.N.: So this is the tenth chapter, and final chapter before I start on the events after the War. I tried to write the conversations between the Council and Systems Alliance delegates, but I just couldn't do it, so I'm afraid that you're just going to have to see what happens. Reviews are welcome, but please, no flames.

* * *

_"The Battle for Tribute was a battle that not many remember, as it took second seat in the Insurrection to the Battle for Reach and Eridanus II. But this battle may have led to the UNSC being victorious in on the counterattacks on Reach and Eridanus II. The attackers had quickly secured government buildings along with the orbital elevator due to agents being in place at the beginning of the attack. This battle was the first deployment of Spartan-IVs, led by Lieutenants Sarah Palmer, and they were integral to the battle. The countryside was quickly secured by UNSC Marines and Army, and as the noose tightened around the Insurrectionists who had teamed up with drug cartels and warlords for the assault in the city, a UNSC ODST company dropped right in the middle of the city, and captured the orbital elevator, and when reinforcements arrived with armor and more ODSTs, the Insurrectionists found themselves trapped in the city. Working together with ONISAD, Army Airborne, Rangers, and the S-IVs under Palmer, Marines and ODSTs moved through the city, taking it back one street at a time. This battle took up enough Insurrectionist forces, that the UNSC fleet assigned to take back Eridanus II, were able to do so much easier than they would've been able to if the Insurrectionists had managed to flee from Tribute. Over six thousand Innies, cartel members, militiamen, and mercenaries were killed in the battle, at the cost of two thousand Marines. There is a memorial in the capital for the fighting, but this battle will remain outside of the limelight cast unto the final months of the Insurrection."_

_-Hugo Chavez, Military Historian_


	14. Timeline 2

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Timeline #2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

_"Hardlight was just the tip of the iceberg. We were already switching to Directed Energy Weapons when the Librarian's Avatar gave us the Janus Key, and all that did was speed us up by a hundred years. Hwakas, and the technology from our ancestors' ship sped us up by a millennium. It's amazing. Our medical technology, weapons technology, ship technology, everything has been boosted. We're already upgrading the Fiji-class, the Infinity-class, the Juggernaut-class, and the Titan-class to Tier One. That bitch Tevos won't know what hit her."_

_-Commander Gerard Butler, CO of Weapons Manufacturing for ONI Section Three_

* * *

2360: The First Contact War (known to the Council as the Relay 314 Incident) is resolved, though there are high tensions; the Systems Alliance outright leaves the table when the Council tries to enforce the Treaty of Farixen and the disbandment of their AIs; The Batarians, who had left the Council over colonization issues with the Turians, the Geth, and the Quarians are interested in the government that refused to be folded into the Council; plans are drawn up for the construction of Orion Station, which will be an Alliance command center, along with an inspection area for all Council ships that wish to enter Alliance space; Noveria and its system is given back to the Turians, and the Alliance forces go back to their own territory; Cole's Seventh Fleet and the Fleet of Glorious Retribution remain inside of Council space

2362: Cerberus is activated, resulting in a tenth of the ASC Navy and a twentieth of the rest leaving to join, along with half of ONISAD-SOG and ECHELON's Alfa Group; Gordon declares a temporary state of emergency, and officially begins the hunt for Cerberus, which is led by the former Rear Admiral Serin Osman; after two years of negotiations, an embassy for the Systems Alliance is made within the Wards of the Citadel, leaving many races neutral on the matter of the Alliance being given an Embassy so quickly (it is the most heavily guarded Embassy on the Citadel, with a company of ODSTs and a Sangheili Special Operations Company being placed there in addition to the MSGs (Marine Security Guards); Sparatus is removed by the Hierarchy from his position in favor of appointing him as Ambassador to the Systems Alliance

2363: Orion Stations begins construction, resulting in a large wave of protests across Council space; Councilor Tevos publicly denounces the Systems Alliance, and threatens to remove their Embassy; Anita Goyle, Ambassador to the Council and all of their races, forces Tevos to back down by stating that it was their first contact with the Council that forced their hand; Sparatus, under orders from the Hierarchy, publicly challenges Tevos as well, by offering reparations to the Systems Alliance for the damages caused during the fighting for Shanxi; Tevos is recalled to Thessia, and a temporary replacement in Matriarch Benezia is found; Saren Arterius, brother to Desolas Arterius, makes a historic meeting with Ambassador Goyle, where he asks for forgiveness in regards to his brother's actions; Commander Vymnus and six hundred Council prisoners are released from Alliance custody in a POW trade for a hundred Alliance POWs; Desolas Arterius's trial for war crimes begins in the New Hague on the Ark (Arterius is defended by an Asari legal team, allowed by the Alliance so they wouldn't receive flak for a perceived unfair trial)

2366: Orion Station is done being constructed, and the first trade that the Alliance does is with the Elcor, with Helium-3 mined by the Alliance in exchange for Titanium; The ASC begins searching for Relays within their territory; Construction begins on the ASC _Divinity_, the second Infinity-class warship; Tevos, after admitting to Asari questioners of what she has done, is officially relieved of her position as Councilor, and Asari police prepare for a trial; A proposal made by Jack Harper, Cerberus's 2IC (second-in-command) to unleash eezo on the city of Shanghai to create biotics is harshly put down by Osman (instead, Cerberus recruits are infected with eezo in an attempt to create biotics; only twenty percent of recruits are given biotic abilities; the other eighty percent quickly undergo medical treatment to keep them from having negative affects); Valern proposes a War Games between the ASC and Salarian Union

2367: Tevos's trial begins; the Batarians send a representative to meet with Goyle in regards to establishing relations (despite her disgust over their culture, Goyle is receptive to the establishment of relations); the Shadow Broker begins trying to get information on the Alliance (Parangosky has ONI attempt to block the Shadow Broker's efforts alongside ECHELON, but they are only partially successful); War Games between the Alliance and Salarian Union begins (using a military grade simulator, the Salarians and Alliance militaries went head to head; the Alliance's mobility quickly took over the field, with armor columns working alongside mech-infantry units and Airborne had the Salarians divided up and surrounded in separate encirclements; what gave the Alliance the win though, was an ODST deployment that took out their AA and artillery, allowing Airborne and armor to finish them off with next to no casualties; the Council races are shocked by the loss, and the Turians respect for the Alliance increases; another War Games is planned); in a humanitarian effort, the Alliance stops an independent colony of Asari from being wiped out and captured by slavers (the Council races are shocked that twelve Frigates, three Destroyers, and a Halcyon-class Light Cruiser augmented with two Sangheili Frigates were able to stop two Dreadnoughts, six Cruisers, and over thirty Frigates); Asari Commandos raid the stash of memory-wipe chips that Tevos had kept, only to fall into an ambush created by Commandos loyal to Tevos (only a single squad makes it out alive, while Tevos's Commandos exfiltrate relatively unscathed); the ASC completely switches from ballistic and plasma weaponry to hardlight and gauss weaponry

2369: Tevos, sentenced to prison, is broken out by her Commandos and Blue Sun mercs; ONI, ECHELON, and Cerberus begin looking for Tevos, for war crimes; Desolas Arterius is sentenced to be executed for the murder of two thousand non-combatants (his last words are, "I am not sorry, for this is my destiny. I only ask that you don't call me a monster, for I did what I did to protect my men."); Saren is approached by the Sons of Palaven, but within ten minutes of the two recruiters beginning to talk, both of them were knocked unconscious and arrested for terrorism; A Relay is found in the Sol System, hidden in the ice moon of Pluto (immediately, the moon is evacuated, and the activation code is given, and when the Relay was free, turned off; heavy tows built to move the Halos were used to move the Relay outside of the Sol System to a system completely barren and devoid of life; an asteroid is flung into the Relay by an AI-controlled ship, destroying the Relay)

2375: After fifteen years of relative peace, the Council agrees to allow Alliance citizens to move to the Citadel, in order to see how ordinary citizens interact with each other; the Geth and Quarians, after years of observing the Alliance, send ambassadors to begin relations; Cole's fleet has expanded into two, and the newly created Eight Fleet colonizes another system skipped by the Council; the Batarians begin colonization of the Attican Traverse (originally eyed by the Alliance, they allowed the Batarians to colonize it in order for use of Batarian connections (slavers, mercs, etc.) for Alliance interests); Aria T'Loak invites Goyle to visit Omega, to discuss relations between the Alliance and the Terminus Systems (talks break down when Eclipse mercs hired by an unknown faction attack Afterlife; S-IVs break the attack, but fifteen of Aria's personnel were among the dead attackers, leading Goyle to stopping the talks in favor of going to a more secure place); the Alliance Embassy on the Citadel is attacked by Sons of Palaven and Blood Pack mercs (the attack is beaten back when a C-250 drops paratroopers onto the Embassy, despite the Council saying that C-Sec would be able to help); Cerberus raids two of Tevos's hideouts, and begin investing in businesses so they don't have to rely on ONI 'black' funds; the Shadow Broker tells Tevos, who paid for him to find dirt on the Alliance, of the Halo Arrays; another War Games starts, this time between the Turians, Asari, and Salarians against the Alliance (the Alliance and Council are evenly matched, with the Council's force size going up against the Alliance's unconventional warfare and mobility; the Alliance eventually wins when an attack encircles the Council, allowing them to be hit from all sides)

2376: Tevos unveils the Halo Arrays, causing another round of protests in front of the Embassy, and attacks on Alliance citizens on the Citadel (civilians are evacuated from the Council, and once all Alliance civilians are evacuated, the Embassy closes, becoming an impenetrable fortress; all trade from the Council, Batarians, and Terminus stops; Ambassador Goyle meets with the Council to explain the Flood, but she is ignored); All Alliance personnel, citizens, traders, etc. return to their own space, leaving both societies separated by a Relay; Tensions flare when a bomb that is associated with Cerberus goes off on Noveria, killing two thousand Turians

2378: Tensions flare higher still when Cerberus agents assassinate a high-ranking Spectre (though the Spectre was corrupt, there was a round of protests); the _Destiny_ finishes construction, and is assigned to search for Shield Worlds, Halo Installations, and Requiems alongside the _Infinity_ (Shipmaster Jul 'Mdamanee is given command); Chief Master Petty Officer John-117 is given a second Legion of Honor and promotion to Commander (he is given command of Task Force Spartan, made up of S-IIs and S-IIIs); Lieutenant Austin Hunt is given a Legion of Honor for his actions during the First Contact War; Commander Shepard is given one as well; Captain David Anderson, for heroism under fire on the ground of Noveria, is given a Silver Star; Commander Shepard is given command of all Spartan fireteams on the _Destiny_; Project Lazarus (Cerberus) begins

2380: Lord Admiral Terrence Hood survives an assassination attempt on him, thanks to an unknown strike team (an investigation reveals that it was an attempt made by mercs hired by Tevos; border security tightens, and two of Shadow Broker's bases are destroyed in retaliation for him giving information to Tevos; ONI begins making plans for an attack on Tevos's hideouts alongside ECHELON); Valern, working independently for the Salarian Union, sends diplomats to Alliance space; Project Lazarus is declared a success; recruitment for Cerberus begins, but by word of mouth only; the third Infinity-class warship, the _Ultimacy_, begins construction; Captain Thomas Lasky is promoted to Rear Admiral, and given command of Battle Group Infinite, the _Infinity_ and the Apaches augmented by Battle Group Dakota; Requiem is discovered by the _Destiny_ (luckily, the ship isn't dragged in, but five Zeuses are; after the Prometheans, using two Forerunner ships, destroy Zeus Two and Zeus Nine, combat operations begin; Battle Group Orion, with Task Force Spartan, are sent to reinforce the _Destiny_ and their ground forces, including the S-IV Fireteams commanded by Commander Shepard; the Shadow Broker gives Tevos the location of Requiem, along with there being some great power on it); Operation: PREDATOR (ONI/ECHELON) begins

2384: the Battle of Requiem still wages, although now it's a three-way war between the Prometheans, the Alliance, and Tevos's people (the Prometheans unleash warships that they had hidden in the center of Requiem; they quickly dispatch Tevos's fleet, working alongside the Alliance to take out a common enemy, before engaging the _Destiny_, the Zeuses, and Battle Group Orion); Cerberus discovers the Forerunner warships on the Apex, but decide not to activate them (plans are made for them to be destroyed, if the need arises); Parangosky is almost assassinated by an Asari Commando loyal to Tevos, while meeting with a Yellow Zone warlord (an SAD agent known as Riptide takes the bullet meant for her; the Warlord's security, ex-Special Forces working for Blackwater, kills the sniper before she can escape the planet; Tevos is put at #1 on the ASC's Most Wanted, surpassing Osman at #2; another Shadow Broker base is destroyed, this time by the _Midsummer's Night Dream_, and the SOG team known as Wolfpack; they leave a piece of metal two hundred meters long with a Cerberus etched on it); STG agents meet with Insurrectionists, Warlords, and mercs in the Red Zones (some are caught by Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI, but most are undiscovered); the _Ultimacy_ is completed, and given to Captain David Anderson; the _Majestic_, the fourth Infinity-class warship begins construction; the Flood on the Apex are completely eradicated between the now-online Sentinels and Cerberus's security

2385: Battle of Requiem is ended, when the _Destiny_ bombards the Didact's Cryptum with everything it has (with nothing more to do, the Prometheans lead the Alliance troops to the Librarian; she speeds up their evolutionary process, and informs them of the Composer; she also gives them the Janus Key); two SAD teams are slaughtered when a raid on one of Tevos's hideouts goes south (the Ranger QRF is hit hard when they go in to extract the operatives; only two operators and a platoon of Rangers survive the raid); STG operatives and Spectres learn of the Flood when talking to the Red Zones (contingency plans are made in case the Flood become a threat, and the Council attempts to talk with the Alliance; outraged that they didn't believe them when they were telling the truth, the Alliance denies them; the Salarian diplomats that had been negotiating for years are sent back to Council space, with all progress they made being for naught); Batarian slavers attempt to attack Shanxi (they are slaughtered by the Shanxi Defense Fleet before they have a chance to even shoot; plans are made for an attack on Torfan, the slaver's base of operations); Arcturus Station begins construction in the Sol System, alongside Galaxy Station in Epsilon Eridani

2386: the _Majestic_ finishes construction, and augments the Ark Defense Fleet (command is given to Chieftain Maccabeus); ONISAD teams working with Rangers and Airborne attack another hideout of Tevos (by blind luck, Tevos escapes, but all of the Commando guards are killed; intel is discovered on her other hideouts and plans; included are more assassination attempts on high-ranking Alliance and Council personnel, and possible alliance with mercs, Innies, and warlords); Valern attempts to talk to the Alliance, alongside the other Councilors, and representatives of each species (a talk is planned to be held on Ilium); Cerberus finds the location of the Shadow Broker's base, and a plan is made to take him out; an unknown ship from the Magellanic Clouds arrives at Charum-Hakkor, waiting to be discovered

2387: Cerberus teams led by the agent known as Flame assault the Shadow Broker's base (the two strike teams insert clandestinely without alerting the outer perimeter, and manage to avoid much notice with the inner perimeter thanks to their active camo and a Stealth Osprey dropship; they successfully make their way to the Shadow Broker, and utilizing their suppressed SMGs, kill him; they take over the network, using it to further Cerberus's goals and to let the Alliance know what's going on); Liara T'soni is approached by Cerberus to take over as the Shadow Broker (she agrees, and begins working for the black operations organization); In order to keep up appearances of hunting down Cerberus, three unimportant agents are captured and tried for terrorism and treason (they are executed); the talk is held on Ilium after a year of delay (talks go well, until a Cerberus team led by Operatives Church and Flame attacks; the guards are overwhelmed by the well-planned strike, and sixteen of the fifty delegates are killed before reaction forces arrive; only three operatives are killed before they evac on two Stealth Pelican dropships and escape the systems using a modified old Turian Frigate capable of destroying two Asari Cruisers before their FTL jump; despite the attack, the talks resume with heightened security, including Noble Team and Green Team); the Composer is destroyed after being moved off of Ivanoff Station; the Librarian's Requiem is discovered (Task Force Spartan and RCT Deviant go to ground to try and find the Cryptum; the _Destiny_ and _Infinity_ along with their Battle Groups provide security); another Mass Relay is discovered near a Yellow Zone, and destroyed; ten Reapers go missing, leading the Councilors to secretly begin getting the Crucible back in operation, fearing the Turian controlling the Reapers may have gone rouge; another six Cerberus agents are executed

2396: another recreation of the Forerunner Dreadnought is created (Gordon, in order to smooth relations with the Council Races, announces that it is the last one); a joint effort between the Alliance and Salarians put the first Alliance colony in the Skyllian Verge (Batarians are pissed, and try to force the Alliance from the Verge; when they fail, they hire slavers to start planning an attack on the colony, Mindoir); the Alliance Embassy's reopened to the public, and trade between the Alliance and Council resumes, along with relations between the Geth/Quarians and the Alliance; the Librarian's Cryptum is discovered (Commander John-117 and Blue Team activate it, discovering that the Librarian was indeed dead, killed by the Halo Array firing; it was her copy that had done everything after her death; all that was in the Cryptum was a message that she had left for Humanity, along with the coordinates for Charum-Hakkor; an expedition to the Prehistoric Humanity homeworld is immediately planned); Alliance citizens move to Omega and Ilium, most of them earning their keeps working as security, or police; Tevos's Commandos meet with Justin Long, the Warlord who controls the Red Zone-planet of Augustine, which was said to have been nuked into unlivable conditions during the Insurrection, to organize the smuggling of weapons, drugs, money, people, and other items (Long, who wanted to keep his empire alive, refused, and in a ten-minute firefight, was killed along with his guards, but not without taking down Tevos's 2IC, Shiala, and half of the Commandos; Tela Vasir, former Spectre who left to go with Tevos, steps in as the new leader of Long's empire); Cerberus recruits biotics who are able to train those who have the ability

2398: Alliance citizens move back to the Citadel, much to the shock of Tevos; the Batarians, who are losing support in the Terminus Systems due to the Alliance, authorize the slaves to attack Mindoir; ONI gets information on the attack, and send SAD teams to help in the defense; the slavers attack in massive numbers, enough so the sixty-two ship Battle Group Mindoir and the thirty MACs on Mindoir are overwhelmed, allowing them to put boots on the ground (the Marine garrison fights hard alongside the SAD teams, making it extremely hard for the slavers to advance; But the garrison is outnumbered and, when an orbital bombardment on a field manages to start a fire resulting in half of Mindoir's crops dying, unsupplied, they start losing ground, with the slaver's capturing some farmers, but the Marines are able to kill the slavers before they can take them to the ships; after two days of fighting, due to the slavers managing to keep fighting at Shanxi since the Batarians were giving them some ships of the line, the slavers reached the capital city, but the civilians who weren't helping in the fighting were all in bunkers that could withstand a nuke set off next to the blast doors; deciding that it was useless, the slavers bombard the planet, then leave, their brethren at Shanxi leaving as well; a day later, the ASC arrives in force with the _Destiny_ leading; they arrived to see Mindoir scarred from the orbital bombardment, with bodies of dead Marines lying on the ground everywhere, and two cities burning; they got the citizens evacuated, and although they were relieved to see the citizens alive, the sight of their dead comrades would haunt them forever, knowing that they were too late to save them); immediately, Gordon and Hood, working with Cerberus, authorize the attack on Torfan, codenamed _**AVALANCHE**_ (Battle Groups Destined and Infinite go through the Relay located at Mindoir, while Battle Group Revenge goes through the Relay at Shanxi; the slavers' fleet at Torfan tries to put up a fight, but the two Infinity-class warships just plow right through them, letting the Battle Groups handle the ships while they put boots on the ground; Major General Cadmon Lasky drops with the ODSTs, and takes control of ground operations, giving the Spartans under Palmer and Shepard free reign to get to the base, while the others fought outside; the Spartan Fireteams breach the defenses of the base using rockets and jetpacks, while the tanks and artillery provides support; as they enter the base, they begin systematically killing everything inside, and leave a HAVOK Tactical Nuclear bomb; Lasky's forces outside kill everything that's in their path to the base, arriving just as the Spartans get out; they're all exfiltrated to the _Destiny_ and the _Infinity_; in space, two well-placed Shivas destroyed the slavers' reinforcements, leaving only one ship to tell the galaxy what happened; the three Battle Groups detonate the HAVOK, completely destroying the asteroid base, and leave); When the Council learns of the Torfan Incident, there's a round of protests due to their use of nuclear weaponry, but they're not intense as most believe that the Alliance was in the right, despite their cooperation with Cerberus for revenge

2400: At midnight on New Year's, Tevos orders a mass of assassinations and terrorist acts (it becomes a race against time for Cerberus, ONI, ECHELON, STG, and Spectres as they try to stop her; it's a partial success, as only two terrorist acts, one on Akuze and the other on Palaven's moon, succeed, while one assassination is not stopped, resulting in the death of Garrus Vakarian, who took a bullet meant for Councilor Benezia, Tevos's replacement); Cerberus is blamed, as one of their agents was killed near the bomb site on Palaven's moon, leading to the Alliance being protested by the Council (Hood is forced to declare Cerberus persona non grata with a kill or capture order for any Cerberus agent); Colossus begins

2410: A ring of terrorist acts associated with Cerberus goes off around Council space (two bombs go off on Thessia, while three freighters are destroyed, and several attacks result in politicians dead; none inside Council space, including the Council, realize that the attacks were all on something linked to Tevos); Arcturus Station finishes construction at the same time as Galaxy Station; construction of the first Fiji-class Battleship begins construction (ten kilometers long, this beast is capable of holding six Destroyers, or twenty Frigates, ten MACs, two energy projectors, and one DEW prototype; the Battleship is primarily for space combat, but is capable of holding up to three thousand Marines for ground deployments; it has a multitude of Rapier, Orion, Neptune, and Phoenix missiles, and Polaris point-defense DEWs); Operation: Queenfish begins (Queenfish starts with ONISAD-SOG teams arriving on Omega without drawing attention to themselves, followed by Rangers, Airborne, SAD, and ECHELON; Airborne and Rangers would arrive at LZs in shuttles prepared by the SOG teams, and get in the M13 Warthogs that Aria T'Loak's personnel would deliver, with SAD and ECHELON going in as civvies; Airborne and Ranges set up blocking positions and SAMs to keep Tevos from escaping the assault; ECHELON, SAD, and SOG HALO from six Stealth Osprey dropships delivered by the _Midsummer's Night_ on to the hideout while Ranger snipers posted on rooftops dropped the outer guards in synchronized shots; with the outer perimeter secured, more Ranger's HALO'd in to provide support; the assaulters silently, yet quickly, take down the inner perimeter, leaving those inside uninformed of their presence; with extreme efficiency, the SAD, SOG, and ECHELON teams breached the safehouse, including through the roof; caught with their pants down, the Asari Commandos were unable to resist enough to slow the operatives down; Despite Tevos's attempt to escape by vehicle, which was taken down by three shots to the engine block, the SOG team Winter, who had used motorbikes to pursue the terrorist, killed her as she stepped out of the vehicle; despite the requests of the Council, the Alliance keeps the identity of the assaulters a secret)

2413: The first of the Fiji-class Battleships, the _Fiji_, finishes construction, with two more, the _Rushmore_ and the _Vesuvius_, beginning construction; Commander Shepard is sent through BUD/S training, to expand her expertise; The N-system is dissolved, replaced by Tiers (Tier One is the best of the best, which is the Tier for Spartans, SOG, SAD, ECHELON DO (Directorate of Operations); Tier Two is next, with Rangers, ODSTs, Airborne, SEALS, and Recon Marines; Tier Three are regular forces; there are exceptions, such as Tier One Rangers, Recon, and SEALS); Colonel April Orenski receives a Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf clusters, a Bronze Star with V Device and an Oak Leaf cluster, and a Silver Star with Oak Leaf cluster, along with other medals, for actions unknown, and is promoted to Brigadier General; Rear Admiral Thomas Lasky is awarded a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf cluster, a Bronze Star with V Device, a Silver Star with two Oak Leaf clusters, and other medals for actions unknown, along with a promotion from a one star-Rear Admiral to a two star-Rear Admiral; Major Michael Sullivan is awarded a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf cluster, and a Bronze Star with V Device, along with other medals and a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel for actions unknown; April Orenski begins Spartan training along with Sullivan, while Lasky is reassigned for a refresher on ground combat and to go through Airborne; Colossus is put on hold

2415: After going through S-IV training, April Orenski and Michael Sullivan go through Ranger School alongside Rear Admiral Thomas Lasky and Commander Jane Shepard; a Cerberus team lead by Flame attempts to kill Miranda Lawson's father on Elysium, but only succeeds in keeping Miranda and Oriana out of Henry's hands due to resistance from Eclipse mercs and Henry's own guards (Miranda joins Cerberus, while Oriana is placed on Ilium, under the watchful eye of Cerberus)

2416: The _Rushmore_ and the _Vesuvius_ are completed, with the _Ural_ and the _Himalayas_ beginning construction; Orenski, Shepard, Sullivan, and Lasky finish Ranger School, and earn the coveted Ranger tab; Colossus resumes; two bombings occur in Council space, one results in the loss of the Reaper known as Harbinger, while the second bombing results in the death of two C-Sec officers and a Batarian diplomat (both bombings are associated with Cerberus, despite the presence of known Shadow Broker agents); Cerberus goes on a recruiting drive again, accepting anyone who wanted to join (the recruits are mostly former Marines, airmen, soldiers, and Naval personnel who fought in the First Contact War); The Fleet of Glorious Consequence, double in size since the First Contact War, divides in half, with the Fleet of Utmost Faith going to colonize a new system; Councilor Valern dies, from an apparent heart attack; Shepard is approached by ONISAD, and denies their offer, although she considers it (the same goes for Palmer and John-117); Grey Team is assigned to Colossus

2419: The _Ural_ and _Himalayas_ finish construction, while the final Fiji-class ship, the _Logan_, begins construction; the Turian Hierarchy reveals their new Dreadnought, the Palaven-class (with an eezo core capable of allowing the Dreadnought to land on a surface, the Palaven-class Dreadnought is a fiend with two mass accelerator cannons, a large array of GUARDIAN laser defenses, and massive amounts of torpedoes; it has three inches worth of armor plating based off of Reaper tech, making it the most powerful ship the Hierarchy and Council has to offer); Shepard is approached by Cerberus, but the recruiter, a low-level agent with next to no training, is shot and captured when he doesn't take no for an answer (an unknown assailant kills him before any information can be obtained); ONISAD begins the hunt for an unknown terrorist who took over Tevos's network

2422: The _Logan_ finishes construction; the Juggernaut-class Destroyer begins construction, the first ship being called the _Juggernaut_ (the Juggernaut-class has no MACs, which had been replaced by a DEW capable of taking out even the Palaven-class Dreadnought with a single shot, thirteen thousand Phoenix missile pods, and an energy projector; the Destroyer is primarily built for space combat, but it is capable of fielding two hundred Marines); the Titan-class Carrier begins construction (this carrier is four kilometers long, capable of holding a thousand squadrons each of fighters, bombers, and interceptors, along with ten UCAD (Unmanned Combat Aerial Drone) squadrons, and two dropship squadrons; it has a single mini-DEW weapon for defensive purposes, fifty Phoenix missile pods, and Hydra point-defense DEWs); the _Infinity_, the _Ultimacy_, and the _Ural_, along with their respective Battle Groups prepare to go to Charum-Hakkor, with Task Force Spartan assigned to the _Ural_ (Rear Admiral (Upper) Lasky is recalled from Colossus to retake command of the _Infinity_, with Brigadier General April Orenski taking command of RCT (Regimental Combat Team) Deviant on the _Ultimacy_, and Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan being named the intelligence officer for the 5th Airborne Brigade on the _Infinity_); SAD attacks a safe house used by the Asari Commandos who had followed Tevos, with a total of eight teams, or a third of ONISAD, due to the level of security on the safe house (it's a trap, and a ton of IEDs have been planted in the safe house; only two of the ONISAD teams are out of the trap, leaving them as the only survivors); Parangosky declares a Surge after the Omega Incident as the trap that ONISAD fell for is called (Commander Palmer is recruited into ONISAD alongside Fireteams Crimson, Majestic, and Talon; Palmer, Hoya, and Crimson Four form an ONISAD team known as Nightmare; the remaining members of Fireteam Crimson form Crimson; DeMarco, Grant, and Thorne form Majestic; Madsen, Talon Three, and Talon Five form Deity; the remaining members of Fireteam Talon form Talon); Commander Shepard, with Commander Palmer now in ONISAD, is promoted to Captain, and given command of all Spartan Fireteams on the _Infinity_ and _Ultimacy_; Flame leads a Cerberus assault on an Eclipse base, and halfway through the assault to take out Eclipse operations on Ilium, Asari Commandos arrive and assist the mercs (the Cerberus force strong armed their way through the Commandos and mercs, and arrived just in time to see an Asari and the head of Eclipse operations on Ilium leave in a vehicle)

2423: Battle Group Prehistoric (the _Infinity_, the _Ultimacy_, the _Ural_, and their Battle Groups) leaves for Charum-Hakkor (it will be a two month journey); Cerberus, using three Stealth Frigates and a Stealth Destroyer, board two unknown freighters (the freighters are traps designed by Tevos's replacement to take out Cerberus's operational strength; thanks to sensors on the Stealth Destroyer, the _King Hussein_, the Cerberus operatives quickly get off of the freighters, and get back to the ships; the _Hussein_ puts two DEW rounds in the two freighters, destroying them instantly); the Systems Alliance fully switch from hardlight weaponry to DEWs; one of the new Palaven-class Dreadnoughts is taken from its shipyard, just barely a week after its completion (the Dreadnought wrecks over fifty ships, including outright destroying three Noveria-class Dreadnoughts (the previous class), before escaping through the Relay when two more Dreadnoughts arrive to assist in taking it out; STG and Spectres immediately begin investigating, making enough waves for Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI to find out that a Dreadnought had been taken, and begin their own search); Battle Group Prehistoric arrives at Charum-Hakkor, a moment that is sent by slipspace communications to every Alliance planet on a live feed (there are no dry eyes at the sight of their ancestor's greatest planet; the unknown ship in the system is scanned, and when there are no signs of the Flood, Spartans are sent in to comb the monstrous hundred-kilometer ship; what they find is absolutely shocking, a _surviving Prehistoric Human!_; immediately, the Prehistoric Human, who is in a cryogenic pod, is, after months of making sure that nothing would go wrong, moved to the _Infinity_; there, preparations are made to unfreeze him); on the way to Alliance space, Ambassador from the Turian Hierarchy to the Systems Alliance Sparatus is assassinated by a Turian with Shadow Broker connections (Cerberus begins investigating T'soni, wondering why one of her agents assassinated someone friendly with Humanity; plans are made to replace her)

2424: The Prehistoric Human is unfrozen (the First Contact with a Prehistoric Human goes well, and they learn that he was the last Prehistoric Human alive; he was the equivalent of their version of the Spartan super soldiers, but he was at least three times the strength and skill of a Spartan, due to Prehistoric Humanity having been a Tier One society; the Prehistoric Human, known as Hwakas, told Rear Admiral Lasky, Brigadier General Orenski, Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan, Commander Shepard, and Commander John-117 his story (he had been on Charum-Hakkor during the early days of the siege, and when the government and military believed they could've escaped the blockade, Hwakas and a ship full of two million Humans and San 'Shyuum, utilizing a very old Precursor Artifact found on Charum-Hakkor, managed to make it to the Magellanic Clouds, to take the fight to the Flood; it took well over two millennia to arrive, and after another millennia of fighting the Flood, Hwakas and the remaining twenty Humans made their way back to the Milky Way, but the others were killed when the Flood, using forms so far unseen in the Milky Way, attacked them before they could make it back to their ship; Hwakas had been in cryogenic ever since, which had taken an extremely long amount of time due to him not wanting to lead the Flood to Charum-Hakkor, so he had the massive ship take a bunch of detours); Cerberus discovers that T'soni had betrayed them to support Tevos's successor, and when they follow her to a meeting with Tela Vasir, find out that some warlords had been replaced with Commandos (Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI plan an operation to take out Vasir, T'soni, and any others they can find; Flame, Wolfpack, and Atlas are going to be the op leaders); Nightmare does its first operation as an ONISAD team (they take down an Innie planning on detonating a bomb on a Tribute spaceport, using ceramic balls and a type of explosive gel that the ARGUS sensors wouldn't detect); Hwakas makes a pledge to support the Systems Alliance

2425: in a large and fast coup, Tevos reveals that the person killed in the raid on one of her hideouts was a decoy (she takes control of the Council, due to the Turian in control of the Reapers working along with her; the survivors of the battles who aren't willing to work with Tevos and fight their allies flee to Alliance space, in order to live and fight another day; Tevos puts a massive fleet at all Relays, and prepares to invade Alliance space using conventional FTL and a hidden Relay; ASC, ONI, ECHELON, and Cerberus begins planning to attack Council space, utilizing all assets, including a Resistance that had been established across Council space by former Spectre Saren Arterius; operations begin to remove her presence from Alliance space by targeting warlords, mercs, Innies, and others that are helping her); as a surprise attack with a massive fleet that had been undetected by Alliance intelligence due to it being built in dark space hits Earth, the Alliance-Council War begins

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A.N.: So, I tried to write a diplomatic scene, and after the tenth time failed, I kind of just gave up, and decided to mention it in the timeline. Hopefully this timeline makes more sense than the first one, but I believe there are some mistakes that are in here still, so please forgive me if there's something that doesn't make sense. Anyway, the next chapter should be up in say, two or three days. Hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"The Alliance is something different. Something new, something fresh, something that hasn't been bogged down by being a powerhouse for thousands of years. They keep expanding, not only their space and technology, but also their culture. Now, the Council has only been expanding technologically and its sphere of influence. It's kind of depressing, actually. I had the pleasure of being one of the first ones to listen to their music, and the reason I believe it is so good, is because that we've been listening to the same type of music for millennia, and their music is so new and refreshing, that it sounds awesome. Even their dubstep from the century sounds good._"

-Professor Malak Vasir, of the Thessian School for Culture


	15. Battle for Sol (Space)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Battle for Sol (Space)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

_"Galaxy Station is a marvel of technology. Eight kilometers long, twice the size of Orion Station, and slightly smaller than Arcturus Station at Sol. Galaxy has no other purpose than just stand as a hulk of metal between Tribute and Reach. Controlled by an AI, Galaxy is armed with sixteen DEWs, and has a complement of drones and point-defense weaponry to prevent enemy aircraft from having a spot to regroup at in case of an attack on Reach. CHAOS antimatter bombs are structurally placed over the station, allowing the AI to destroy the station to prevent it from getting in enemy hands."_

_-Vice Admiral Hieronymous Michael Stanforth, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations_

* * *

Vice Admiral Steven Hackett, CO of Arcturus Station, stood in the command center, listening to the controllers relaying instructions to Admiral Drescher's Second Fleet as they prepared to leave for Shanxi, where they would head to the Skyllian Verge to help in the defense of Mindoir, as Gordon, Hood, and Parangosky believed that Tevos would want the Alliance out of Council space. Hackett heard a beep from the monitor in front of him, and looked at the video communications request from Parangosky. Wondering why the Head of ONI wanted to talk to him, he accepted the request.

Parangosky's worried face appeared, and without even saying hello, she said, "Hackett, Sol's going to be put under attack. Sound the alarms, get ready. She's going after Sol, and force us to accept her position as dictator."

Hackett asked, "Who's she? And what the hell are you talking about? Earth is an unknown location to anyone in Council space."

Parangosky glared at Hackett, and said, "I don't know how, but Tevos has found the location of Earth. She already has a fleet bound to Sol."

"How do you know this?"

Parangosky revealed she was on a datapad as she turned it so the camera was pointing out of the window. What he saw took his breath away. The image was obviously from dark space, but it showed a massive battle. There were a thousand Reapers and other Council ships, including two unknown types that are obviously Council in design, going up against one of ONI's Stealth Fleets, a hundred ships strong. He could tell that ONI was fighting a losing battle, but they were dealing damage. Hackett watched as a Prowler exploded on top of a Reaper, having crashed into it in its final moments and launching everything it had into the Reaper at point blank range. The explosion took out another two Reapers next to it. It was obvious that the crews and commanders knew it was a lost battle, but they were going to deal as much damage as possible.

Parangosky said, "Get ready, Admiral. This battle won't last much longer, and then they'll be coming for Sol. Tell Hood and the rest of the Admiralty. Trust Cerberus, they're the good guys. Good luck, Admiral. Parangosky out."

The feed cut out, and Hackett stared at the screen for a moment, before he went into action.

"Everybody, we're going to be under attack! Keep Drescher's fleet here, and alert Hood and Harper!"

After a shocked silence, the crew of the station followed his orders in a calm before the storm type of manner. Immediately, Drescher's fleet was attached to the Sol Defense Fleet. Arcturus's own Defense Fleet was put on high alert. Commercial traffic was halted, with some companies offering the use of ships to the Sol Defense Fleet when evacuation orders were called for and everyone realized what was going on. Within an hour, reinforcements from Reach was on the way, and every defense was at a hundred percent capability. Civilians were being moved to bunkers, or evacuated.

Hackett was at the front, watching the cold darkness of space, waiting. A beep from his monitor attracted his attention, and saw that it was a request for video communications from Hood, and accepted it.

From Cairo Station in geosynchronous orbit over Earth, Hood asked, "What the hell was that, Hackett? Are you sure we're going to be under attack?"

Calmly, Hackett said, "I received a video communications from Parangosky, where she told me that Sol would be attacked by Tevos. When I questioned her, she showed me what was happening outside of her location. There was a pitched battle between a thousand Reapers and other ships, obviously Council, going up against one of ONI's Stealth Fleets, which I believe to be the Third. It was obvious that the Stealth Fleet was on a suicide mission, and that when the fleet hits our system, they were defeated. She told me to trust Cerberus, that they were the good guys. The Admiral also told me good luck. What did she mean by that Cerberus are the good guys?"

Hood sighed, and asked, "Can you send me the video? I need to know what we're up against."

"Of course, Admiral. It's sending now."

Hood watched his data pad, then said, "Got it."

The CNO watched the footage, and when it was done, sighed. He looked at Hackett for a second, before picking up a cell phone, and dialing a number.

When the person answered, Hood said, "Serin, it's Hood. You need to get a fleet to Sol. Parangosky and a Stealth Fleet just hit Tevos's gathering spot in dark space. It's only a matter of time before they attack Sol."

A pause, then, "The Fleet won't fire. They understand that we'll need all the help we can get."

Another pause, and, "Excellent. I'll make sure that they're used properly."

Hood disconnected the call, and said, "I guess I should explain some things to you."

Hackett said, "Yeah, you should. What the hell were you doing with Osman and Cerberus?"

Hood stared at Hackett, and Steven knew that if he hadn't been friends with Hood since the Insurrection, then there would've been hell to pay for his words.

The CNO sighed, and said, "It was for the best of the Alliance. An ONI Prowler discovered the Citadel during a routine check of random systems to hopefully find another race, or something involving the Forerunners. We wanted to learn more about them before we initiated First Contact. But as we learned more about their society, we became disgusted, and so we decided that we would try to avoid First Contact with the Council for as long as possible. However, the discovery of the Relay at Shanxi ruined that, but then we saw a chance to make their society better. We could've cared less if they were a dictatorship, but giving slavers free reign and only giving a race like the Batarians slaps on the wrist was too much. It was a powder keg, and so Cerberus was created, something we could all unite and fight against. Each one of those original members knew what they were getting into before they left for Cerberus. We never thought it would turn out like this."

Hackett looked at Hood, and said, "Was it worth it?"

"I don't know. It can still work, with us all uniting against Tevos. People are going to hate that Tevos was able to take over so easily. They'll change their society, or drown."

Their conversation was broken when an officer in the command center of Arcturus said, "Sir, we are picking up the signs of FTL exit vectors. Preliminary shows that around seven hundred ships. Battle Groups Stalingrad, X-ray, and Himalayas are going to be meeting them head on."

Hood's face immediately became hard, and said, "Admiral, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cut our conversation short. I only have one order for you. Do not let Arcturus fall. Hood out."

The communication was cut, and Hackett found himself looking at a blank screen. He looked at the officer who had announced the FTL vectors, and thought for a moment before he reached his decision.

"Send a message to everyone offering Arcturus for repairs if needed. Activate all weapon systems, put the squadrons on alert, and I want the Marines and paras ready for a possible boarding. And bring Houdini online. I've got the feeling that we'll need him."

There was a resounding, "Aye, sir!" as the crew went about their jobs. The seven DEWs that protected the station from ships was powered to the max, with two energy projectors going online as well. Missiles and point-defense weapons were ready to go as well. The Marines, paras, and air squadrons were put on alert, while six LANCE nuclear bombs were released, ready in case the bastards who dared to attack Humanity's home system tried to take out the station. Houdini was online, taking over the defenses. Within ten minutes, the station was ready for war.

* * *

Fleet Admiral Harper watched the fighting around Pluto from the long range cameras of the _Vesuvius_, located near Saturn. The fighting was heavy, with the three Battle Groups making up a total of seventy-two ships. They were wrecking the seven hundred strong fleet, with the _Stalingrad_ supporting them with fighters from afar, while the _Himalayas_ took the fight directly to the enemy. Harper knew that the seventy-two ships wasn't enough to win the battle, but he knew that the damage they were causing would help with the battle later on, as he looked at the two hundred ships between Pluto and Earth, which was guarded with a hundred ships. All they needed to do was hold out for two hours until the reinforcements from Reach arrived.

It was thirty minutes later, when Captain Anthony Wright of the _Stalingrad_ said, "_Vesuvius_, this is the _Stalingrad_. We're falling back with Battle Group Himalayas. We're down to fifty percent combat capability, but Battle Group X-ray is completely gone. Some of our number want to go to Arcturus for repairs."

Harper said, "Great job out there. Now, I want you guys to go to the line at Saturn, let you take a break. And the ships that want repairs, they can go and get them."

The remaining thirty ships broke away from the combat area, and commenced pinpoint slipspace jumps to new positions. Six of the survivors went to Arcturus Station for repairs, while the rest formed up at the line at Saturn. As the aliens, now down to five hundred and twenty or so ships, charged the line at Neptune. Almost immediately, the attack broke when they hit a line of LANCE nuclear bombs, followed up by a salvo of energy weapons. The line at Neptune closed in for the kill, forcing the Council fleet to flee back to Pluto as they could no longer sustain the attack, having lost another hundred ships in a matter of seconds.

Harper narrowed his eyes, not liking the fact that the bastards had retreated so easily, and said, "Battle Groups Makin and Iwo Jima, engage. Keep them on their toes!"

Two Battle Groups, making a total of sixty-one ships, departed from the line at Saturn and engaged the enemy by doing pinpoint slipspace jumps, with the Thermopylae-class Heavy Cruiser _Makin_ announcing their presence by slamming into a Dreadnought, completely obliterating it. Caught by surprise, the Council fleet had precious time to react, but blundered it, allowing the Alliance ships to cause massive destruction in three salvos before retreating.

Harper smirked, all was going well.

* * *

Things were going the opposite way for Harper's counterpart. General Nihlus Kryhik was pissed at the way things were going. First, the Humans had discovered his fleet in dark space, and engaged, taking out three hundred of his ships before they were finally killed. And when he attacked this system, the Humans were waiting for them! Despite his numerical advantage, the Humans were still emerging victorious! Nihlus knew that if he did not find a way to take down or go around those two lines between him and the homeworld, then his mission would fail.

But as his thoughts went to the recent attack on his fleet, his mind immediately highlighted that they had done FTL from one spot to another within the same system, twice. Thought impossible by Council scientists, Nihlus wondered if it would work, despite the two forms of FTL being different. Bat as the pros outweighed the cons, Nihlus made his decision.

* * *

Lord Admiral Terrence Hood stood on Cairo Station, looking over the reports sent from Harper, and watching the tactical map, waiting for the Council commander to make his move. The CNO knew that there would be one more attempt to gain victory, before the commander would admit defeat and either fight to the last ship or retreat. Either way, Hood wanted to be one step ahead of the bastard leading the assault at all times. He began to utilize the tactical map, running through various scenarios and how to stop them.

His thoughts were broken when an officer reported, "Admiral, sir! The enemy just went through FTL! They're retreating!"

Hood's head shot up, and he stared at the officer, before asking, "Was there a third attempt?"

"No, sir! They just retreated!"

As Hood's thoughts accelerated trying to figure this new problem out, he came to a conclusion.

"They're going to jump to Earth."

And his prediction came true, as over three hundred ships exited FTL, between Earth and Mars. As Harper's fleet turned to help defeat the large fleet, and the opening salvos started, Hood knew the battle had just begun.

He watched as the Council fleet charged the ODPs, ignoring the destruction around them in favor of landing troops on the ground. Hood watched as six Frigates exploded on a Dreadnought, the explosions taking it down with them. A Reaper turned Malta Station into molten slag, before doing the same to Athens Station, opening a gap. The Reaper was destroyed by the Cairo's own DEW, but the damage was done. Hood watched the Council fleet go through the gap, and land troops on the ground, not able to do anything but try to limit their numbers on the ground. But as the last ship was destroyed, reports started to come in reporting heavy fighting in the cities and where the aliens had deployed as ODSTs and other forces were deployed to the surface to assist. Some reports indicated that there were enemies on the ground on Pluto, Jupiter, Mars, and Luna. The ground war for Sol had just begun.

* * *

A.N.: I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but I'm not really good at writing space battles anyway. Hopefully that will eventually change, but or now, this is the best I can do. But don't worry, the ground battle will be a lot better, and posted soon. Hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"Arcturus Station. Ten kilometers long, located between Neptune and Uranus. There's five DEWs on it, capable of destroying a Thermopylae-class with one shot. A hundred and seventeen ships are assigned to guard it, along with fighter, bomber, and interceptor squadrons, bolstered by a division of Marines, a RCT of paras, and a S-IV team. If there's anyone who wants to attack Earth, Arcturus is going to make their lives hell."_

_-Vice Admiral Steven Hackett, talking about Arcturus Station_


	16. Battle for Sol (Ground)

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Battle for Sol (Ground)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but I wish I could claim ownership. How awesome would it be to own both Bioware and Microsoft/343 Industries?

* * *

_"The MK22 EBR, or Mark 22 Enhanced Battle Rifle. It's the successor to the Mark Eighteen Enhanced Battle Rifle, but it's currently only in use by special operations. It's got an option to put whatever scope or sight you want on it, with whatever attachments. You could put an underbarrel grenade launcher, a foregrip, a tactical light, an Aimpoint laser sight, hell, even a chainsaw as I saw a bunch of SEALS use during a hostage situation. It has a fifty round magazine, capable of firing full auto, burst, and single shot. Cerberus, ECHELON, ONISAD, ONISAD-SOG, SEALS, and Spartans are going to be issued extended magazines for them later this year, with next year them being issued to everyone. The Mark 22 also has the ability to go suppressed with the touch of a button. The Council isn't going to know what hit them."_

_-Dominic McClimans, weapon designer for Misriah Armories_

* * *

Colonel Will Jenkins stood on top of the Ares MBT, looking towards the smoke rising up from Altros, the only city on Pluto. The Council forces that had been landed on Pluto had an easy invasion, going up against a lone RCT, the one that Jenkins commanded. He had abandoned Altros since all of the civvies had been evacuated to bunkers in the countryside, and he knew the city would become a death trap if they tried to stay and fight. But now it had changed.

He looked away from the city, and looked over the RCT that was under his command. Every man and woman of the unit had their eyes on him, wondering what he would do. Jenkins knew that they were all ready to go and retake the city, not wanting aliens to control anything within Humanity's home system.

The Colonel raised his voice, and said, "Men and women, these sons of bitches think they can walk all over us, and take our cities, our homes, our planets. Well let's teach these bastards wrong, shall we?"

Although it wasn't the best pep talk ever, his Marines still cheered, as many of them had grown up on Pluto. The engines of the tanks and vehicles roared loudly as engines revved up, and Marines got in their vehicles. With a smile, Jenkins got in his own Ares, knowing that they would take Altros or die trying.

He said, "Rover One to all units. Let's roll."

The RCT, consisting of thirty Ares MBTs, twelve Harper MAAVs, and forty M13 Warthog LAAVs, began to move towards the city, all guns aimed towards it. As they neared the city, Rapier and Cutlass fighters flew overhead, escorting a squadron of Katana bombers, who dropped their payloads on targets within the city.

Jenkins, in the lead Ares tank, opened up the hatch as they entered the city, taking manual control of the M172 LAAG, his neural uplink allowing the weapon's targeting system to connect to his HUD. Immediately, his HUD lit up with targets, all of them hiding behind walls or on the roofs, waiting for the Marines to get fully in the city. Jenkins immediately started putting out rounds, chewing through walls, kinetic barriers, and flesh alike. A round from the Ares put a hole in the building, and seeing that there were contacts, the other vehicles engaged them as well. Seeing that they were compromised, the Council forces opened fire on the vehicles. Energy shields flared to life, protecting the vehicles and personnel from the fire. The RCT stayed mobile, just completely blowing through the ambush, and leaving a navpoint for any other forces that was put on Pluto to assist. As they made their way towards the downtown area of the city, where the Council forces had set up a camp, they continued to smash through ambushes like they were nothing, leaving death and destruction behind.

Two hours into the attack, Jenkins found himself looking down into the heart of the camp, with the defenders running around, getting ready for the inevitable assault. The Colonel and the other gunners fired at the defenders caught in the open, making it a slaughter.

Before the camp could be prepared fully, Jenkins yelled, "All units, attack!"

The Regimental Combat Team, now spread out in a single row across multiple streets instead of a column, charged at full speed towards the camp, guns blazing. When several rockets were shot from a guard tower, Jenkins let loose, killing all of the enemies inside. The Ares fired a salvo with their main guns, rounds hitting bunkers, towers, and destroying ten enemy tanks at the camp before they could do anything. Suddenly, two Warthogs exploded, with one crashing into a third.

"Rove One, this is Blazer Four. One, Six, and Ten are down!"

Jenkins didn't reply, too busy gunning down the launchers that had did the deed as they tried to run. The RCT was now only three hundred meters away from the base, and as they approached, blue barriers suddenly shot up around the base. Not wanting to test if his vehicles could get past the barrier, Jenkins ordered a halt. Now Jenkins had seen the footage of the fighting at Shanxi and Noveria, and knew that they were biotic barriers. He knew they wouldn't be able to cover an area as large as the camp normally, so that either meant one hell of a biotic, or an artificial means. No matter, it would be brought down soon.

"All units, fire."

As one, the Ares tanks fired, their energy rounds hitting the barrier. It flared, but held. However, a volley from the Harpers, using blind fire mode on their Anti-Aircraft missile batteries, combined with another volley from the tanks brought it down, and as it disappeared, the RCT started moving again. The defenders, who had not expected the barrier to fall so quickly, started doing everything they could to stop the advance. Rockets were fired, but the volume was much less than before, and they harmlessly detonated on energy shields. Small arms fire bounced off of shields, giving targets for the Ares and Warthogs.

When they entered the base itself, it quickly became total chaos. The Council force were either running, or throwing themselves at the vehicles, trying to take them out. One tank was disabled when a suicidal Salarian threw himself under the treads of the tank, detonating explosives. But as explosions and the LAAGs destroyed killed the Council forces, the camp was secured.

And as the flag of the Council was taken down, and the flags of the UNSC and UEG replaced it, Jenkins knew that it was over.

* * *

On Mars, the battle wasn't going as well as it was on Pluto. The Council forces were more numerous than on Pluto, and the landing sites were farther away from the location of Human ground forces on Mars. And the Council forces had more time to prepare, setting up AA guns that kept dropships from being able to drop off troops. And with the main focus being on Earth, there were no ODSTs to drop on the Council's base of operations. This forced the Army and Marine defenders to do a frontal ground assault, which they weren't looking forward to.

Colonel James Ackerson, who had barely maintained his rank when the S-IIIs origin came out, stood on top of the hill that was facing the enemy firebase at Mare Erythraeum, pondering on how to assault the base. There were AA guns set up that prevented the dropping of Airborne, and even CAS (Close Air Support). Artillery was firing round the clock from the base, locked in duels with his own artillery, keeping them from turning their attention to his own men. The two paths that were big enough for tanks leading into the base was a death trap, with explosives and mines undoubtedly covering them, while tanks and infantry were watching in case anything made it through the minefield. Snipers were positioned at the base walls, to keep people from scaling the walls. As he thought on that, a plan slowly came together.

Sergeant First Class Michael Ezell, platoon sergeant of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, moved carefully under the cover of darkness, occasionally glancing up at the tall walls that they would be scaling. He checked his MK22 EBR, making sure that the suppressant mode was turned on. Ezell had seen too many ops blown due to a suppressor not being screwed on tight enough, or not turned on. The NCO was on point for the company of Rangers as they made their way to the walls, since he had the most experience as a point man, and in this situation, the Captain didn't want to take a chance.

When they reached the walls, each Ranger took a piece of ladder and hooked it up with other pieces. Soon, the pieces created three ladders, each of which were put on the walls. Thanks to the darkness, which was so dark you could not even see your hand in front of you. The Rangers began to scale the ladders, maintaining silence. One rung from the top, the point men stopped, while the Captain radioed Ackerson.

"Colonel, it's Pizzini. We're ready."

Back at the hill, Ackerson said, "Got it. Firing now."

As one, the tanks under Ackerson's command lit the night sky with a single salvo. The rounds, specifically engineered to travel through objects before exploding, went three feet under the ground before it exploded. This had the effect of taking out all the mines and explosives on the paths, clearing the way for the tanks and infantry.

Ackerson said, "Fuckin' Irene!"

With the codeword said, the attack began in earnest. The tanks and vehicles charged the paths, with infantry following them. In a single salvo, all of the Council's artillery were destroyed by Ackerson's guns, thanks to the help of a drone which gave them the positions of the guns. And as flares illuminated the battlefield, the Rangers poured onto the walls, taking the riflemen by surprise. Within minutes, the Rangers had control of the walls, and were firing down on the Council forces below the walls.

Ezell reloaded his EBR, then turned to the Ranger next to him, who happened to have a rocket. He tapped the Ranger on the shoulder to get his attention.

Ezell said, "Petrovsky, come with me. We're going to clear the way for the tanks."

The private nodded, and followed the NCO to where the wall was overlooking the tanks, which was mainly unoccupied except for two rocket teams that Ezell had assembled, since the tanks could kill anyone up there. With the fifth rocket ready, the two rocket teams were ready to take out the tanks.

Ezell said, "Shoot."

All five rockets hit their targets, leaving only two tanks left to defend the paths. Before the tanks could kill the Rangers, they exploded, announcing the arrival of the rest of the attack force. Led by an Ares tank, they quickly captured the base, although Ackerson was gunned down by a Turian guarding one of the AA guns. But the base was secured, ending the Battle for Mars.

* * *

On Earth, in the jungles of South America, a lone drone, barely a foot wide, was flying through the trees, as if it was searching for something. When it hovered over a lake, a gloved hand suddenly came out of the water and snatched it. As six heavily armed but lightly armored humans stood up, the one who grabbed it stuck it in its holster.

One of the humans, a Cerberus operative known as Flame said, "Told you they were there."

The only female in the group, codenamed Succubus, said, "Shut up."

Another human, this one not present with the group of six, said, "Flame, Succubus, cut the chatter. They have patrols out, and we don't want to compromise the Rangers do we? They're already going to have enough trouble with those tanks as is. Now, the rally point's marked on your HUDs. I'm already here with the rest of my team. Crimson, what's your ETA?"

Two miles away from the rally point, Crimson One, driving a 'Hog, said, "Three minutes."

Sandman, the coordinator for all of the teams said, "Good. Now, get your ass in gear people. We need to take this base yesterday."

There were green lights all around, as the separate teams made their way to the rally point. Flame took point for the group, with Succubus right behind him. Although word had gotten around that Cerberus were apparently good guys, there wasn't any trust. As they made their way to the rally point, the silence was heavy, with the three ONISAD operatives keeping an eye on their Cerberus 'friends'. It was at the halfway mark when Flame suddenly stopped, and held up a fist. The rest of the group stopped as well.

Succubus whispered, "What is it?"

Flame didn't take his eyes off of the foliage around them, and whispered, "Check your motion tracker. There's something near us."

The SAD operative checked her tracker, and saw a red blip near Flame. She was about to give a warning, when a blade suddenly came out of nowhere, towards the Cerberus agent. A Turian was revealed, his own invisibility wearing off. But Flame was fast, and blocked the blade with his own combat knife. The hardened blade shattered upon impact, but as Flame thrust forward with his plasma sword that she didn't even know he had pulled out, Succubus found herself slightly awed at the speed the Cerberus agent reacted. Even experienced operatives like Sandman didn't react that fast.

The Turian blocked the thrust, and went back on the attack. Flame met every attack with one of his own, until the Turian made a mistake, which the Cerberus agent took advantage of. His plasma sword moved too fast for normal eyes could see as he delivered the killing blow by shoving the sword through the Turian's chest until it was to the hilt. Flame then allowed the body to dropped, and sheathed the plasma sword. The whole fight took less than fifteen seconds. With the threat gone, the group of operatives set off for the rallying point again.

When they arrived at the rallying point, Crimson and Sandtrap were already there. Sandman was on the COMs with Hood, telling the Admiral what they saw on the drone.

"Admiral, I'm telling you that if you don't recall the Rangers, they're going to get their asses handed to them, especially without support. They don't know what they're headed into."

Hood said something, causing Sandman to smile, and say, "Yes, sir."

Crimson One asked, "I take it that Hood's recalling the Rangers?"

"He's not recalling the Rangers, but he's giving them the proper support. They didn't think there would be tanks, but now Hood's informing Colonel Hendricks of what's at the village. Sometimes I hate having better equipment than the others. Now, enough about the Rangers. Did you find the village where the column was heading, Flame?"

Flame nodded, and said, "Got it. It's two klicks south of here. But it'll take an extra klick since we'll have to go around the village."

Sandman nodded, and said, "Well, let's go."

The four teams each mounted up on a Warthog, with Sandtrap leading and Crimson trailing. They set out for the village turned camp that the Council forces had taken, and where General Talid was heading, making sure that they were ready to turn on energy shielding at the drop of a hat. The teams had no issues getting to the point where they would make their way to the base on foot, half a klick away. Nightmare, Sandtrap, and the Cerberus operatives would be the ones hitting the base, while Crimson made sure they had extraction.

They passed many patrols, not killing them since they didn't want to be compromised before they could get to Talid. When they arrived at the village, Flame pulled the quad rotor drone back out, and sent it flying towards the village. The silent drone sent live-feed images to all of the operatives' HUDs, allowing them to find where Talid, the Turian General leading the Council forces, was located. When they found him standing near a tank, they continued towards the village.

The Cerberus agents infiltrated the base by moving along a creek, to which a house had its back to. They entered the house silently, with Flame pulling out a suppressed M9E, and shooting a Commando in the back of the head. With the house clear, they immediately prepared for the attack. Meanwhile, Nightmare and Sandtrap had gone through the forest, and onto the other side of the village. The lone Turian guarding the house was killed by Dune, who had taken a garrote to him. Since everyone was in position, Sandman prepared to issue the order to attack.

But Flame put a stop to that when he said, "Something's not right. They're too calm, as if they believe we're not going to attack."

Sandman looked closely at the enemy forces, and said, "You're right. Something's not right."

Suddenly, Flame yelled, "RPG!"

Flame raised his MK22 EBR, and dropped the Asari with a single shot to the dome, starting the fight. The Cerberus operatives, within moments, proved why they were considered to be Commandos. They broke free from cover, firing their EBRs on full auto as they ran, spraying the invaders. The EBRs, with fifty rounds, became death dealers, the rounds easily killing their targets. By the time Nightmare and Sandtrap got their asses in gear, over a quarter of the Council forces were dead. Under the combined fire of nine operatives, the invaders had no chance. In under a minute thanks to the SAD and Cerberus operatives being underestimated, all that was left of the original force was a cowering Talid. Sandman knocked the Turian unconscious before the operatives made their way back to where Crimson and the vehicles were waiting, and made their way back to Firebase Asgard with their prisoner. And as a MAC hit a village, the last shots of the Battle for Sol had been fired.

* * *

A.N.: So, this chapter's finished. Not one of my favorites, but I believe it suits the purpose just fine. Honestly, I rushed it a bit, because I had this really awesome chapter planned, but like the forgetful person I am, I had written it for a battle that's going to take place in the future of the story. So now I have to plan everything to fit that chapter. But anyway, hope you liked it.

To The DarkOne (Guest Reviewer) and Misanthrope (Guest Reviewer): I had meant to respond to your review last chapter, but had forgotten to do so. Anyway, the reason why Liara was working for Cerberus as the Shadow Broker is two fold. First, Cerberus is not pro-Human in this story. I've always wanted to see a good Cerberus story, and there aren't just enough out there, so Cerberus is not pro-Human or anything like that. They're just protecting the Alliance from the Council pretty much. And the second reason is because Liara's been working for Tevos for the longest time (which will be explained later), and so accepted the position as Shadow Broker to assist Tevos. And yes, hearing that sentence did seem wrong on so many levels didn't it?

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_"Liara T'soni. She's one cold hearted bitch. Acted as the Shadow Broker for several years, until her true loyalties came out. Now Cerberus, Hood, and everyone else wants her head on a pike. And we're the ones going after her. I feel sorry for her."_

_-Sandman to Nightmare, Sandtrap, Crimson, and Majestic_


	17. Planning

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Planning

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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_"Ambassador Anita Goyle is someone I would trust with my life. A Marine during the early years of the Insurrection, she saw the horrors of warfare. When her time was up, she went into politics in an attempt to keep something like the Insurrection from ever happening again, or any war for that matter. But unlike most politicians who are anti-war, she's not one to bend over backwards to everybody to keep peace. She'll make it known upfront that although she doesn't like war, she's not afraid of it. She's a person who favors an island-hopping campaign hitting strategic and tactical targets, instead of just blindly hitting each and every planet. If anyone's going to keep us from suffering too many casualties in this war, it'll be her."_

_-Prime Minister Edward Gordon, on Ambassador to the Citadel Council and other races beyond the 314 Relay_

* * *

On the Ark, a meeting that would determine the Alliance's actions and goals during the upcoming war was taking place. Present at the meeting was Prime Minister Gordon, Ambassador Goyle, Lord Admiral Terrence Hood, Vice Admiral Neil Ojeda, Parangosky's replacement, Serin Osman, Rear Admiral Lasky, Major General Strauss, newly promoted Captain John-117, Hwakas, Rtas Thoramee, and Thel 'Vadam, along with Tartarus, the Jiralhanae leader. There were two sides on what the Alliance should do. Goyle, Ojeda, Osman, Lasky, John, Hwakas, and 'Vadam were in favor of hitting tactical and strategic targets in a planet-hopping campaign, and using local forces such as the Resistance and mercenaries not working for Tevos. Strauss, 'Thoramee, and Tartarus were in favor of total warfare, including bombing civilian targets and attacking planets with no real value. Hood and Gordon were both leaning towards the planet hopping campaign, but there had to be no uncertainties that it was the right decision.

Osman was the one who cemented Gordon's and Hood's decision when she said, "As part of the job of being Cerberus, we were taking over the job that ONI has of fanning the flames of rebellion. People like the volus, elcor, hanar, and drell have been feeling like second-class citizens, and we've been providing them with arms. They're not our own energy weapons because then it would be obvious who's supplying them, but the low-class Council weapons are enough to keep them from getting steam-rolled by the CTOs (Counter-Terrorism Operations). But their assets won't be available for long, since T'soni was in charge of handling weapon shipments. Not one of my brightest ideas, but we told all of the groups we were supplying to go to ground, and only when a specific code word was said would they know orders were real. And if we do move quick enough, all it will take to secure worlds is having a couple AFO teams deploy to cities while conventional units deploy outside of the cities."

Hood and Gordon were sold, with Strauss, 'Thoramee, and Tartarus reluctantly agreeing. With the type of strategy decided, the military leaders began discussing on what to hit and what to bypass. Osman, since she was the one with the most experience besides Goyle in dealing with Council space, had the floor.

She said, "We definitely want to secure our own borders first of all. Hit Noveria, and from there we push outwards. Ilium and Omega should be among our next targets, since Ilium is Tevos's economical capital and Omega is the criminal underworld, which she wants to have full control of. Aria would owe us a massive favor, and without Ilium, Tevos would be bankrupted of her private funds, and well over a quarter of the Council funds. From there, we target Council worlds with either tactical, strategic, or ideological importance, such as homeworlds, Virmire, and planets important for military movement, along with strikes to whittle down the Council fleets. Wear her down, take out her inner circle. And start raids against the Batarians, they've been giving Tevos the slavers in order to keep the Council from having a fleet over Khar'shan."

The others agreed, and the final details were worked out. Soon it was decided that Katherine Drescher would lead the assault to break the siege on Omega, which had gotten far enough for Council forces to get groundside, but Aria's fleet would manage to push the Council fleet back. Rear Admiral Anderson, leading the _Ultimacy_ and Battle Group Ultimate, was given the job of taking Ilium once the Relay at Noveria had been secured by a force led by Rear Admiral Lasky, including Hwakas and his ship. A Cerberus team led by Flame, Sandtrap, Nightmare, and Blue Team were dispatched to make sure that T'soni was removed from her position as Shadow Broker. Permanently. Tevos wouldn't know what hit her.

Councilor Tevos stood in her private room, looking out over the Citadel's Wards. The people under her rule showed no signs of caring that she had taken over in a bloody coup, which included killing Valern and Sparatus's replacement. It was anything but. There were deadly ambushes against C-Sec patrols, since the populace knew that the current members were nothing more than thugs acting as secret police, who were hunting down the human population of the Citadel in order to move them to concentration camps, where they would be brutally brainwashed to become spies. The ambushes usually killed one or two officers, but in the war of attrition it had quickly become, the revolutionaries were quickly gaining an advantage since C-Sec weren't great fighters, often relying on terror to get their jobs done. But as their reputation worsened, there was more a resistance on the Citadel, especially the Wards, which had become a thorn in her side. She knew they were hiding the Humans, but without the necessary proof, the whole galaxy would go up in uprising if she turned the Wards into a warzone.

She turned her thoughts away from the Citadel in favor of thinking about the upcoming war with the Systems Alliance. Liara, in her position as Shadow Broker, was trying to find out what the Alliance was up to, but it seemed like they realized her betrayal, and she wasn't able to get anything. But one thing she was able to do was provide the locations of weapon shipments to assorted groups that were involved in going against her rule. She had a fleet assembled to go and take care of the threats. As she looked at the Wards again, she thought back to the plans that had been brewing since the Reaper War, which all came together at the successful coup.

After the Reaper War, she had gained influence in the criminal underground, going so far as to gain operational control of the Children of Rannoch, the Sons of Palaven, the Ardat-Yakshi terrorist group known as the Monastery, and the three major mercenary companies, Blood Pack, Blue Suns, and Eclipse. And with Liara as Shadow Broker, she had control of the Shadow Broker intelligence apparatus, foolishly given to her by Cerberus. This allowed her plans for the Council to be the dominant power in the galaxy take place. The coup was bloody, with C-Sec putting up a larger fight than predicted, despite the mercs, terrorists, and spies in C-Sec having a first strike that almost wiped them out, thanks to Alliance C-Sec officers and a Turian 9th Platoon member leading the resistance. Valern and Councilor Sparatus's replacement were easily killed by their own guard details, but Benezia managed to escape. Most of her guard detail were working for Tevos, but the Matriarch proved quite combat competent, and with the rest of her guard, managed to kill the assassins, and killed everyone in her path to a skycar held by C-Sec. With two Asari Commandos who would do anything for Benezia as guards, she left while the C-Sec officers kept her own people away from the hangar until the Matriarch was safely away. And then they destroyed all the remaining skycars.

The Spectres proved to be just as hard as C-Sec and Benezia, since she only had three Spectres under her command, led by Tela Vasir. Two of them were killed in the running gunfight against the other Spectres on the Citadel, and despite the mercs assisting Vasir in trying to take down the others, only six fell at the cost of a third of the assisting mercs. Led by Saren, the Spectres managed to find holes in the wall and escape, with some on other worlds. She had Vasir and T'soni, along with Shiala, finding out where they had gone, but it was slow going. So far, T'soni's people had only killed two Spectres.

In other news, the Citadel Defense Fleet was fully under her control, although Matriarch Lidanya and a third of the Dreadnoughts along with countless other warships from the fleet managed to escape. And Shiala's weapon smuggling from Alliance space using her position as a warlord was going well. Although the weapons she was supplying was obsolete compared to the Alliance's current weaponry, it was still leagues better than current Council tech. The Alliance wouldn't know what hit them.

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So probably the shortest chapter I've done yet for this story. But I'm making it up for this by waiting until the next chapter is done, and then posting them together. It'll be epic beyond all proportions! Not really, but I'm just trying to get you excited for this chapter to be up. Even though you won't read this until it's up...

Huh, oh well, I didn't think that through. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

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_"Task Force Spartan is the attempt to keep the S-IIs and S-IIIs separate from the S-IVs. No offense to the S-IVs, but they're leagues below the previous generations, except for the S-Is. Led by Captain John-117, the most famous Spartan and also known as the Chief even though he's a Captain, Task Force Spartan deploys with Battle Group Orion, which is based around the Constellation-class Supercarrier Orion, and so far they've only fought on Forerunner worlds, or when a warlord decides to wave his stick around and catches the Alliance's attention. Despite being such a huge Battle Group, the deployments are often the most secretive in the galaxy besides ONISAD-SOG, Cerberus, and AFO deployments. Already, Task Force Spartan is being deployed to parts unknown in this upcoming war."_

_-Mikhail Gorbachev, Head of the Committee for Alliance Special Operations_


	18. Let Loose The Dogs Of War

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Retaliation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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_"Stealth Cruisers are no longer things of the past. Thanks to discovered Forerunner technology, we've already created a fleet of Stealth Light Cruisers, and a Battle Group of Stealth Heavy Cruisers. These ships are going to be our own version of AFO, taking the fight deep into Council territory, and then getting out just as fast. Using forward naval yards created by Cerberus in the Interwar-periods, they're going to be doing attacks that, unlike the Corsairs and Wolfpacks, are not hit-and-run. They're going to be stay and fight battles, with the goal of drawing as much Council ships into the fight as possible, to keep them from being able to respond to attacks."_

_-Vice Admiral Steven Hackett, CINC of Stealth Command_

* * *

Sandman stood in the AIB of the Stealth Frigate _Midsummer's Night Dream_, looking over the imagery of the Shadow Broker's Lair sent from Flame and his Cerberus team on the ground. Using intelligence from Cerberus, a Joint Strike Force made up of his team, Nightmare, Flame's team, and Blue Team had been created to take down T'soni. The Cerberus team had been on the surface of the planet for a week, on a medium-sized surface vessel with a stealth coating to avoid being compromised. They were pros, managing to get the pictures with a single drone, which normally wouldn't be able to fly in a storm like the one around the Lair. Thanks to the Cerberus agents, they were able to find the ship's position for the jump. All three teams would be going through the atmosphere and land on the Lair, then once they took T'soni out, they would go towards the surface to meet up with Flame and his team.

The voice of the Frigate's Captain came over the COMs, "Sandtrap, Nightmare, Blue Team. Five minutes until deployment, I repeat five minutes until deployment."

Sandman stopped looking at the imagery, and turned to face Nightmare, Blue Team, and the rest of Sandtrap, saying, "Alright. This is a kill or capture op, preferably capture. Liara T'soni, renowned archaeologist, daughter of Matriarch Benezia, and the current Shadow Broker. Cerberus thought she was a good person due to what other people said about her, along with the interviews she gave about the Council. But it's become clear she's one of Tevos's lackeys. We're going to make sure she doesn't give Tevos any more intel. Nightmare, you're going to be landing on the south end of the ship, Blue, the east, and Sandtrap, we're going to be on the north end. T'soni's going to be ready for an attack through the access hatch, so we'll be placing explosives to get into her personal room, and then exfiltrate before her people can react. Once we're clear, then the _Midsummer's_ going to nail the ship with a SPGM (SPace-to-Ground Missile). Any questions?"

Succubus asked, "How are we extracting?"

"Jumping out of the ship. Flame and his team are going to be under the Lair the entire time, and when we're done, they're picking us up on the ship. A C-270's going to be picking us up once we're all on."

There were no more questions, everyone silently thinking about the ballsy move. The C-270, a cargo plane modeled after the ancient C-130, was the workhorse of the Alliance. Capable of landing on a fifty foot runway, the plane was capable of landing anywhere, any weather, including on a ODP at times. The cargo plane was capable of flying in space, and was often used in combat scenarios where there wasn't time to get an AC-270 as a gunship. This weather and the terrain of the planet would be a bitch for the pilots to navigate.

The operatives and S-IIs did their pre-op rituals in silence. Sandman, who had made it a habit after Osman had gone "rogue", checked his will to make sure it was correct. Storm made sure her magazines were loaded with her favored mix of AP, shredder, and explosive rounds. Dune was talking to his sister, who was a Marine Lieutenant on the _Ural_, which would be going to Noveria in a day's time as part of the Alliance counterattack. Fred and Will were both looking at weapon schematics, including the first design for the M4A9's replacement, the M419. Linda was talking to a S-III known as Noble Six, one of the few Spartans who were ever tutored by her in the art of being a sniper. Kelly was checking her boots, to make sure they were set to achieve the maximum speed possible. Succubus and Ghost, a former S-IV named Hoya, were discussing their operations on the Librarian's Requiem, while Demon was quiet, just checking his weapons.

When the red light turned green, the operatives and S-IIs leaped out of the AIB, and descended towards the planet. As they entered their atmosphere, they activated their chutes as rain and high winds blanked them. Using the pure force given to them thanks to augmentations, the Spartans and operatives managed to stay on course. When they were ten feet above the mobile Lair, they cut their chutes loose, and landed quietly. Their GEN7S's active camo immediately allowed them to blend in with their surroundings, making them unnoticeable to the outer guards unless they moved too fast.

Sandtrap, on the north end of the ship, moved carefully towards the center of the ship, where they would meet up with Nightmare and Blue Team. When they got to the access hatch, they left no guards alive. Blue Team got to the hatch a minute later, with no guards left in their area either. Nightmare took a bit longer, since the team was unused to black operations, but they made good time. Together, the three teams took out the guards in the west end, and then they made their way towards the part of the hull that protected the control room. When they arrived, they carefully placed C-19 S-Breaching Charges on the hull, for maximum effect. Specifically designed for breaching the hull of ships, the C-19 was able to pierce the hull of a Titan-class Carrier. Once they were a safe distance away, they detonated the explosives and hit the control room.

As they searched for a target, the operators discovered why there wasn't any more of a challenge out on the hull. The warning hadn't been caught since there was no one on the ship besides the outer perimeter guards. Fearing an explosive trap, Demon and Will began checking for explosives while the others quickly searched for intel. Two seconds after they found the explosives, which were set to receive a signal, a voice that they recognized as belonging to Tevos began to speak.

"Alliance fascists. You thought you killed kill one of my most loyal operatives. But now it is you who will die, and since you won't live to tell the tale, I guess you won't mind me telling you what will happen to pitiful race and government. Already, operations are in place to take you off of the galactic arena."

The voice continued talking, making it obvious that it was a recorded message when it didn't notice the two ONISAD teams and the S-IIs start looking for intel, keeping an ear on the message, so they could get some valuable intel, and to know when they needed to leave. They found everything they needed, including the location of T'soni's safe house and the smuggling of low quality DEWs, using the connections that Shiala had due to her taking over as a Warlord. This was a small cause of concern, since WMDs may start coming through, but the weaponry was obsolete by a couple of generations. Done with their searching, the special operations personnel leaped out of the hole in the command room, activating their reserve chutes, guiding themselves to gently land on the boat that the Cerberus agents were using. By the time the voice finished talking, and the explosives on the ship were detonated, the attack force were already on the way to the _Midsummer_ by way of C-270. The ship crashed into the sea, lost forever. Well, at least until a survey team grew some balls and decided to search the planet for anything. With the Shadow Broker network out of operation, the _Midsummer_ commenced a slipspace jump to Noveria, which would be in Alliance hands by the time the Stealth Frigate arrived.

Rear Admiral Thomas Lasky stood on the bridge of the ASC _Infinity_, looking at the massive fleet he commanded. Besides the _Infinity_ and Battle Group Infinite, the fleet consisted of two Fiji-class Battlecruisers, the _Ural_ and the _Logan_, a Titan-class Carrier, the _Hyperion_, seven Olympic-class Heavy Cruisers, fifty Mythical-class Light Cruisers, and the rest of the fleet was made up of Juggernaut-class Destroyers, Berlin-class Heavy Frigates, Pickett-class Light Frigates, and Zodiac-class Corvettes and Prowlers. The fleet was outnumbered 2-1 by the Council fleet at Noveria, but the advantage was in Lasky's court due to superior weaponry and surprise. Ten Stealth Frigates, two Stealth Destroyers, and a Stealth Light Cruiser, along with numerous Prowlers and Stealth Corvettes, were already in the system, having planted HYDRA nuclear mines, which were completely black, not noticeable by mine detection equipment nor by visual. All it would take to detonate the mines and deplete the Council fleet exponentially were two activation codes.

Lasky heard the familiar voice of his communications officer as she yelled, "Sir, the fleet's ready to go!"

Lasky nodded, and said, "Let's go then, shall we? Pass the word that we'll be going into slipspace in five. I want every weapon at a hundred percent readiness. These bastards aren't going to know what hit them."

The communications officer along with the other officers on the bridge followed the orders, and soon every vessel in the two hundred or strong fleet was ready to go.

Lasky ordered, "Tell the Stealth ships to get ready to detonate the mines."

The order was passed on, and the activation code on the HYDRA mines was activated, meaning that all it took for them to go loud was another code. When Lasky ordered it, most of the Council fleet would be obliterated within seconds. After five minutes, and an order from Lasky, the fleet went into slipspace.

"Let loose the dogs of war."

Commander Miranda Keyes, CO of the Pickett-class Light Frigate _All or Nothing_, watched the sensors, showing the locations of the wolfpack she had been given command of. Made up of Pickett-class Frigates like her own, they would be going through the battle, just causing pure mayhem. Not expected to make much of an impact besides destroying the Council frigates and fighters, they were mainly there to cause chaos. Although slightly less experienced than most of the other wolfpack commanders, during the Battle of Sol she had caused the enemy to lose a good amount of Frigates that would've been useful to have. Having heard of her performance, Lasky had given her the lead on the wolfpacks, meaning the other wolfpacks would be following her lead. One of the missions given to the wolfpacks was a charge on the orbital defenses that the Turians had managed to put up around Noveria. Reports showed they were less effective than ODPs, but they could manage to cause some damage if they were left unchecked.

She sighed, and checked the timer until they were out of slipspace, and almost groaned when she saw that there were still ten minutes left until they left slipspace. For her, the calm before the storm was the most boring thing in the galaxy. To pass the time, she sent messages to her friends, and even one to her mother, before checking her will. When everything was done, there was one minute left until they exited slipspace. The minute passed by extremely slow, but when the _All or Nothing_ exited slipspace, she found the wait worth it.

The Council fleet had taken damage from the HYDRA mines, and as the Frigate shuddered from crashing into a counterpart due to the exit vector allowing no room for maneuver, she watched the _Infinity_ just smack aside a Turian Dreadnought, one of their updated Palaven-class ships.

Keyes, having made the assessment that her help wouldn't be needed due to the effectiveness of the mines, calmly said, "I want us at full engines towards the orbital defenses. We can't get boots on the ground until they're taken out."

Her navigation officer said, "Aye, ma'am."

The Frigate bared down on the orbital defense system, with her wolfpack and two others following behind her. When the wolfpack was noticed by the VI controlling the system, it was too late for the system to turn its guns on them, and as lances of energy left the Frigates towards the defense platforms, Keyes smirked in satisfaction. One of her Frigates, the _No Alternative_, just crashed into a platform since its guns turned towards it and the main weapon was still charging. The defense platform was tossed away like a piece of trash, and the Pickett-class Frigate continued on its merry way. With the defense system clear, Keyes got on COMs.

"Admiral Lasky, it's Commander Keyes. Their orbital defense is out of action."

Lasky, looking out of the window as the _Infinity_ destroyed another Dreadnought, said, "Good. Now start landing troops. The faster we get boots on the ground and they get mobilized, the better. I got the Apaches coming to help."

The Apaches were the Frigates that the _Infinity_ carried, and they were often used by the _Infinity_ for ground support operations. When they arrived, they dropped their ODSTs, and followed it up with regular Marines and armor. With eighteen Frigates worth of troops groundside, Major General Norman Schwarzkopf began the offensive to capture Noveria. AFO (Advanced Force Operations) team were deployed to cities to light up targets for gunships using Resistance forces and mercenaries who saw an opportunity for a large sum of money. By the time the operation to bag T'soni was put into action, the Council forces were demoralized with the targeted strikes and ambushes that they couldn't respond to, and being forced to defend T'soni when they could be assisting their brothers in arms elsewhere. This would make things a lot easier for Operation: Charybdis.

* * *

So, the war has now begun. Unfortunately, I couldn't have T'soni go down so easily, so I'm going to be extending it across a chapter or two. And for those who aren't going to like the Chief not being with Blue Team, the Chief is now a Captain. He's not going to be able to take command of Blue Team often anymore since he has command of an entire Task Force. But no need to fear, the Chief will have his own combat opportunities. And yes, they will be EPIC! Or at least I hope so. Anyway, what do you guys think?

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_"Matriarch! It's not safe to be here. You've got to get out of here! Tevos will find you, and kill you! We need a leader!"_

_"Nonsense, Atis. While she may find me, Tevos is a coward. She will send those who do her bidding after me. And those who follow instead of leading...well, there's a reason why I'm a Matriarch, and they're not."_

_-Matriarch Benezia to Atis, one of her Maidens, at an unknown location_


	19. Operation Charybdis

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Operation: Charybdis

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

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_"Cerberus is a black ops group made up of ONISAD-SOG teams and ECHELON teams that all volunteered to become terrorists, believing that they were doing the right thing. These operators started to conduct operations, many of them public, but who knows how many weren't, against Council space. Secretly supported by the Security Committee, ONI, ECHELON, and other influential people, Cerberus had no shortage of funds or recruits. While they did do a good job of getting Council space open for invasion, the only thing I can say is Thank God that war started before they could go rogue."_

_-Former Director of ONI Green, or "public", Operations Dalia Hampson_

* * *

The ONISAD agent known as Succubus, former Commander Sarah Palmer and operational commander of Nightmare, stood on the roof of the building that gave her the perfect view of the safe house where one of Tevos's Lieutenants, Liara T'soni, was staying while informing Tevos of the situation on the frontlines. Lasky's Tenth Fleet, led by the _Infinity_ and Hwakas' massive ship, had quickly defeated the fleet stationed at Noveria, surprising them when the Tenth had jumped in the middle of their formation. Boots were put on the ground quickly, and the line of defenses were easily broken, allowing the units to push towards the cities. AFO teams were already in the city with Cerberus and other Tier One units, organizing the Resistance and the mercenaries who wanted to make a quick buck. While they were having successes, the units outside the city were getting bogged down when the Council forces, under orders from T'soni, started throwing Husks, Brutes, Ravagers, Banshees, Adjutants created by the Sons of Palaven, and even Collectors that were controlled by the Turian who had taken the Catalyst's place, at the advancing forces. Only the 5th Marines, Hammer Troop, the Skyjumpers, and the Rangers stayed mobile, engaging the enemy in ambushes and running engagements.

Succubus, seeing T'soni talking to someone, most likely Tevos, talked into her mic, saying, "Demon, Ghost, its Succubus. You ready to rock?"

Demon and Ghoul, on two other rooftops observing the safe house, sent green lights in reply. Succubus, who had the OPCON for the mission, contacted the next person.

"Sandman?"

Sandman, who would be providing support with the rest of Sandtrap, said, "We've got the safe house blanketed. No one's going to be getting out."

"Good. Flame?"

The Cerberus operative stood in a doorway, protected from the strong winds while being able to observe the safe house, gripping his MK22 EBR that was hidden by an overcoat of all things. He was protected from being compromised by the guards due to the rain, giving him free reign to coordinate with his team and the rebels under Saren who were partaking in the op. Half of the outer guards, made up of Salarians and Turians, were secret rebels.

"I'm good down here. Just waiting for the word."

Succubus said, "Excellent. Lasky, it's Succubus. We're good to go."

Lasky, up in the _Infinity_, gave a nod to Roland's avatar, before saying, "Got it. The AC-270's inbound. Operation Charybdis is a go. Victory. I repeat, Victory."

Succubus, a smile on her face, said, "You hear that everyone? Victory, Victory, Victory! Let's do this shit!"

As she activated her wing suit, and disappeared over the edge of the building, with Demon and Ghoul doing the same, Sandman said, "Sandtrap, engage."

Three synchronized shots from their SRS103-S sniper rifles dropped the rooftop guards without alerting anyone. Ten seconds later, Nightmare landed on the roof, folding in their wingsuits and gripping their BR97HBs before they moved to the edge of the roof to support the attackers on the ground.

When Succubus had given the code word for the attack, Flame had said into his own mic, "Winning, I repeat, winning. Let's do this, people!"

At his words, two explosions lit the city as bombs planted by the Resistance and mercenaries working under AFO and Cerberus direction were detonated at the two staging areas that the Council forces were using as QRFs in this section of the city, and half of the outer perimeter guards started shooting. Caught by surprise, the other perimeter quickly fell, but not without killing six of the Resistance members. As the Asari Commandos handling the inner perimeter along with T'soni's own surviving Shadow Broker agents braced themselves, two suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests at the fence, killing themselves, but creating a gap in the fence for the attackers to go through. Flame and Saren Arterius, leading the Resistance, led the way through the gap, dropping several Commandos before they could start shooting. But when the Commandos did, several of the Resistance members dropped.

However, Nightmare was on the roof of the safe house, and as accurate fire came from their BRs, the Commandos found themselves caught between a rolling boulder and a hard place. Flame and Saren led the attackers through the Commandos, making sure every last one was dead, before heading through the front door. Nightmare, with the assaulters securely at the front door, hooked up a rappel for each of them. With the three green lights, the ONISAD agents rappelled down two floors and crashed through the windows, surprising the Asari maidens in the room. But completely loyal to T'soni, the Maidens tried to put up a fight, forcing the operators to use lethal force.

On the first floor, Flame and half of the survivors went through the entrance hall, his MK22 EBR picking off targets with ease before he would switch to full auto and move to close quarter combat. After the front hall was secured, with help from the accurate sniper fire coming through the windows, with only Flame, two other Cerberus agents, and ten Resistance members left, they pushed up to the second floor, leaving Saren and his team to take the rest of the first floor.

Nightmare finished clearing out the third floor, and with no sign of T'soni, and Flame and his team on the second floor with Saren on the first, they made their way to the third and final floor. Almost immediately they were fired upon by Commandos positioned throughout the hall. They methodically made their way through each room, taking enough time to where Flame, the two Cerberus operatives with him, Saren, and six Resistance members joined them. With the reinforcements, they were able to smash through the Commandos, although all but two Resistance members died along with one of the Cerberus operatives on the way to the last door. Succubus led the way in, followed by Flame. Two shots from a pistol bounced off of her shields as she ran in, before the shots turned towards Flame. Succubus took advantage of the shots not going towards her, and raised her M9E. A single shot was all it took, and T'soni dropped towards the ground. The Asari screamed in pain, and tried to raise her pistol to her head, but a kick from Flame broke her wrist, forcing her to drop the pistol. The last thing she saw before all went black was the butt of Flame's MK22 EBR coming towards her face. The whole breaching was done in ten seconds.

Sandman watched from his position on the top floor of a skyscraper as the Council QRFs, or what remained of them, responded to the attack on T'soni's safe house, six minutes too late. The surviving Resistance members and Cerberus agents had already disappeared into the night, while Nightmare was extracted by a Stealth Osprey. Sandtrap was told to stay behind in case an HVT was part of the reaction force.

He pulled out the almost empty clip from his SRS103-S sniper rifle, and put in another one, then checked his M4A9. Satisfied, he went back to watching the Council forces. A minute later, just as the QRFs made it to the safehouse, his HUD highlighted a black on black shape, and identified it as the AC-270 gunship, callsign Ripper Two-One.

A female voice came over the net, "Sandtrap, this is Ripper Two-One. We'll be over the target area in two mikes. Tell us when to bring the rain."

"Got it, Ripper. You won't be here for nothing, I can assure you that."

"Good. We got full armament, so we can do this all night."

Sandman didn't bother to reply, and instead scanned over the crowd of Council forces that had arrived. It was almost like they were begging for a gunship to wipe them out. One face he spotted seemed familiar, and when he checked the Turian against the image database of Tevos's people that Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI had compiled, the face matched that of a Turian Colonel named Rasch Marphus, who had been 2IC of the coup on Noveria.

Sandman whispered, "Dune, Storm. You see what I see?"

Dune, on the rooftop of a different building, hidden by smoke stacks, said, "Yeah. Who has the shot?"

Sandman said, "I've got the best view, and least obstructions. But I want you to be ready to shoot if I miss."

"Got it, boss. Ready when you are."

Storm stayed silent, which Sandman and Dune noticed, and there was a nagging feeling in the back of their heads that something was wrong, but it wasn't enough to get their full attentions. Sandman aimed carefully, taking into account the distance, the windage, and the movement speed of the Colonel. The shot wasn't long enough to where he would have to take the Coriolis effect into account, but he did so just to make sure he killed the Turian.

Ready, Sandman whispered, "Now."

He let his trigger finger add an ounce of pressure, and felt the DEW kick against his shoulders, even though the weapon was actually designed to have no recoil. The SAD operative just preferred the recoil, having gotten use to it over the years. His first round flew down range at a high velocity, and struck the Colonel in the head, instantly collapsing his shields and continuing to his brain, killing him instantly. Sandman smirked, knowing that they wouldn't be able to figure out his location.

He stood, slung the S103, and grabbed his M4A9, walking over to the window, saying, "Ripper Two-One, bring the rain. You're cleared hot."

The female pilot said, "With pleasure, Sandtrap. Engaging now."

The gunship immediately began firing, laying waste to the vehicles outside of the safe house, and preventing the Council forces a means to escape the onslaught.

Sandman said, "Dune, Storm. Let's go."

Dune replied, "Got it."

There was no response from Storm, and Sandman asked, "Storm?"

No response, causing Sandman to get an uneasy feeling, as he said, "Dune, I don't have line of sight on her position, and the life signs haven't gotten working again yet."

"I'll check on her."

Dune walked close to the edge of the roof, just enough to see Storm's position. What he saw wasn't good. Storm was hanging from the roof of the building by the Council version of paracord, obviously dead before she was put up there, as otherwise she would've let them know what was happening. Asari Commandos were all over the building, and as he poked his head out, a stream of bullets from a modified shuttle that had been maintaining distance came towards him. Dune ran across the roof, barely avoiding the bullets and occasionally firing rounds at the shuttle.

He yelled, "Storm's dead! I'm compromised! I have to get off this rooftop! There's a shuttle gunning for me!"

Sandman began running up to the roof of his own building when he heard voices from the stairwell, obviously not the professionals who had taken out Storm, and said, "Then go! I'll meet you at the primary. Ripper Two-One, you see Sandtrap-Two?"

"I got him in sight, along with that cute little shuttle. You want me to take it out?"

"That would be lovely, Ripper Two-One. Bring the rain."

The pilot paused, then said, "It'll be danger close. And there's a possibility we'll miss."

Dune yelled as bullets bounced off of his shields, "Just fucking do it!"

The pilot paused again, then said, "Roger that. Danger close, light anti-armor. Fire."

The gunner of the gunship let out a burst of fifty energy rounds designed to take out dropships and lightly armored vehicles, all fifty of which hit the shuttle. It's effect was instantaneous as the shuttle was rocked by an explosion, and crashing toward the ground. However, the pilot began to guide it towards Dune, planning on take the operative out with him. But Dune was very class to the edge, and as he saw the shuttle, he activated a speed boost and ran towards the edge.

As he jumped, the shuttle crashed onto the roof where he had been, and he yelled, "Shit!"

The SAD operative, his jump extended by the speed boost and the explosions, flew across the street and to the next building. He put two rounds through a window, shattering it, then landing on the floor with a roll. Two Turians were cowering in a corner, and to avoid having witnesses that would help his enemies find him, put two bullets in their brains.

Dune said, "I'm alright, Sandman. Making my way to the primary now."

Sandman was on the roof of his building, getting ready to do his own jump, and said, "Good. I'll see you there."

Dune grunted, as he had dislocated his shoulder during the jump, and said, "Got it, boss."

He proceed to exit the building, and as the downpour hid him from the search parties, grabbed the motorbike that he infiltrated the city on, and drove towards the primary extraction point two klicks outside of the city.

Sandman was still on his roof, watching his motion tracker as the enemies from below made their way up the stairs.

He said, "Ripper Two-One, I'm marking targets. Hit it with a 275."

Although no longer using ballistic weaponry, old habits were hard to break, and when calling in gunship rounds, ground forces often used the designation for the old rounds.

The gunship, which was hitting targets of opportunity, said, "Roger that, Sandtrap."

As the stairwell door was flung open, Sandman let off three rounds from his M4A9, making his pursuers duck their heads back down, before he started to runs towards the edge of the roof. When he jumped off of the building and activated his wing suit, Sandman gave the word. An equivalent to a 275mm round was fired from the gunship, and it hit the roof just as the Council forces had it completely covered. The round cased the building to collapse inwards, ending up with the building a pile of rubble and dust covering the streets.

Sandman meanwhile was using his wing suit to get to his bike, and he left the city just as daylight broke and Alliance ground forces hit the city. The Second Battle of Noveria was coming to a close.

* * *

A.N.: This chapter I wrote before the timeline was even finished, and this set the stage for where I would be going in the story, so that's why it's up so fast. Anyway, hoped you liked it. And a quick question. Is it weird that I put the chapters on paper before typing them? I don't think so, but some people say it is.

* * *

_"Flame is someone that's a mystery to almost everyone in Cerberus and the galaxy. To know his identity, you need a security clearance of Grissom. And so many people think that Black Box is the highest clearance you can get. Ha, to know about Grissom you need to have a Black Box clearance. Even I don't know his true identity."_

_-Panther, CO of AFO Wolfpack, on Flame_


	20. The Finish and The Intro

On the Brink (Rewrite)

AFO!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. There will be elements from MOH: Tier One and MOH: Warfighter. ONISAD is used with original author's permission.

* * *

_"AFO teams are something that people thought would never work in the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh centuries after the First Contact War, and their ground forces proved to be conventional fighters. But several War Games scenarios against them have proven time and time again that it will work. Insertions by HALO, atmospheric insertion, regular parachute, dropship, ground, any type of insertion will work against the Turians. Hell, in one War Games we even staged an assault that was dedicated to getting an AFO team behind their lines. And not once did they learn to counter it. When the AA guns exploded and gunships came over the area, they knew they were beat. But that was all in theory, where it wasn't real war, with lives on the line. Let's see how they actually do shall we?"_

_-Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Kaupang, CO of Task Force Pandora_

* * *

Chief Petty Officer Jacob Taylor, callsign 'Mother', laid prone in the RHIB as it headed towards the shore of the capital of Noveria, which was still in Council hands. With T'soni safely bagged, Schwarzkopf was ordering a general offensive to capture the city. The Tier One SEALS team known as AFO (Advanced Force Operations) Neptune was part of that offensive, heading in by sea to get a good vantage point for calling in gunship support on parts of the city. They were going through the beach, which was lightly defended by the Turians, since the Council races never expected someone to attack by sea, which would be their downfall. Three surface vessels, all of them carriers with drones and dropships, had been deployed into Noveria's sea, and would be the staging ground for part of the final assault.

The RHIB's skipper yelled, "Neptune, one minute to target! The Duck's are going in now!"

The DV-19 "Ducks" were amphibious combat drones specially designed for insertions by sea. Armed with a MK-72 HWS (Heavy Weapons System) and two M172 LAAGs, the Ducks were controlled by an operator on one of the surface vessels, and one Duck was capable of wiping out a whole Insurrectionist compound if they weren't prepared for a Duck assault. As the Ducks stepped onto the beach, their MK-72 rockets and LAAGs started firing, completely slaughtering the unprepared Turian defenders. No cover was enough to protect them from the combat drone. With the beach clear, the order was given to send in the rest of Task Force Matkal, a joint Marine Force Recon and SEALS assault force that would be hitting targets provided by Cerberus and intelligence operatives within the city, after AFO Neptune was put on the beach.

When the RHIB touched the beach, Mother, Petty Officer First Class Victor Marinco, 'Voodoo', Petty Officer Third Class Dominic McMahon, 'Preacher', and Petty Officer Third Class Manuel Reed, 'Rabbit', hopped out of the RHIB and onto the beach. The skipper waved at them as he took the RHIB back out to the _Admiral Nimitz_ to pick up members of Task Force Matkal. With their boots on soil, the AFO team made their way up to the sea wall, where they put up a ladder to climb up. Once they were up, two skycars landed near them, letting out two Cerberus agents and a bunch of Resistance members.

One of the Cerberus agents said, "You guys Neptune?"

Mother nodded, prompting the agent to say, "Alright. This datapad here's got the directions to where you guys are going the buildings that you guys picked out earlier. Each one of the buildings is overlooking a red zone right now. Plenty of targets, and if you want to provide sniper support, you can. But these guys are smart, and they'll find your position sooner rather than later, so be on your toes. Watch the sky too, their using the skycars as well. We got IFF on our transports, so it should be fine to tell the difference. Well, we're hitting the governor's palace now, so we got to get going. Any questions?"

Mother asked, "If we need extraction or assistance for whatever reason, will we get it?"

The agent said, "Yes. Right now, the coms are filled with the fighting outside of the city, so we took a radio station and we're using it to get information in and out. The datapad has the number on it. Just call it, and use Code Ten to keep the Council forces from figuring out where you are. It is a radio station after all. We've also been using it to give misinformation, such as making them go on a wild goose chase for T'soni. Anymore?"

There were none, and the Cerberus agent turned to his people, and said, "Alright, let's wrap it up. If you need anything, you know where to go."

The Cerberus agents and Resistance members got back in the skycars, and left. Looking at the datapad for directions to their OP, the AFO team then set off. They took the back roads to their destination in order to avoid the patrols that were searching the non-combat areas to make sure the Resistance wasn't doing anything. It took them fifty minutes to arrive at the OP, the top floor of a skyscraper. There were bullet holes in the walls, and scorch marks from energy burns.

Voodoo said, "Man, looks like someone already went through here. And they weren't nice to each other."

After a moment, Mother said, "There have been running gun battles throughout the city between the Council forces and the rest of us. A favored tactic for us is to jump off of buildings. And it's usually squad-sized fights, so there's no one else near the building, allowing us to fade into shadows again. Eventually they're going to start countering it."

The AFO team set up on the floor, and soon, the top floor was a highly protected OP. Drones were on all floors, including the roof, making sure that no one managed to sneak in, while trip wires, mines, and other explosive devices were placed on the stairwell as well as motion sensors. Protected, the AFO team settled in to wait for opportunities to call in aerial support. While they were waiting, they would occasionally provide sniper support for one of the battles inside the city, but mainly they were just watching for targets.

After an hour of little excitement, Preacher said, "Mother, I think you better see this. Something's coming into the city, and it's not Alliance. Looks important."

The SEALS operative walked over to Preacher, and looked at where he was pointing. A medium-sized convoy, at least fifty vehicles, were being moved into the city. Only six of them were military vehicles, the Makos. The rest were all cargo containers, and as Mother looked at in thermal, he saw that there were heat signatures inside. A lot of them. Deciding to call it in, Mother placed a call in to the radio station.

The operator on the other end said, "Hello. Welcome to Alliance Military Radio-Noveria. What do you have to report on the battle?"

"Northwestern end of the city. Right at the Club Noveria. There's a convoy with a lot of heat signatures. Need to get a gunship on it fast. Code Omega-One-Seven-Whiskey."

There was a pause as the operator made sure the code was right and he took a look at the convoy, and then he said, "Got it. I'm looking at it now from a drone. What the hell is inside those? It's stirring up a lot of heat. Better place a missile up its ass to make sure."

With the ball rolling, it only took two minutes for a gunship and a drone to arrive on station to take it out. But they were seconds too late. The convoy had driven straight up into one of the combat zones, and then the transport trucks were opened. Somehow, the Council forces had managed to keep all of the transport trucks intact, and with fifty trucks filled to the brim with about forty or fifty Husks, including Brutes, Ravagers, Banshees, Adjutants, and Cannibals, hundreds swarmed into the battle. The effect was instantaneous.

The Resistance fighters freaked, although those who had experience from the Reaper War put distance between them and the Husks. Bolstered by hundreds of cannon fodder, the Council forces started to push forward again, only to be met by the AFO, ONISAD, and Cerberus teams. As gunships entered the city, the initial advantage quickly became a disadvantage for the Council forces, since they let part of their fighting be taken up completely by the Husks, and with the gunships tearing the Husks apart, it left holes for the Resistance, which had been regrouped, to move through. Even though the fighting had started out in different parts of the city, the Council forces had been pushed together, and with the Husks gone, it allowed one final swoop to completely surround the enemy. Gunships, drones, artillery, and bombs were all dropped on a single square kilometer radius, completely pummeling the Council forces who were attempting a final stand. And as armor rolled into the city along with conventional forces, the final assault on the city took place, completely wiping out any resistance, and firmly putting the whole planet of Noveria in Alliance hands.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, a massive battle was taking place at Omega. The Council fleets assembled at the criminal world had finally broken through Aria's mercenary fleet's line, and was putting boots on the ground, despite the fleet's attempts to stop them. The fighting on Omega was heavy, as the Council forces, Blood Pack, Blue Suns, and Eclipse fought the Talons and Aria's forces for control. Slowly, but surely, the forces working for Tevos was gaining dominance, and the Talons and Aria's forces began fighting a tactical withdrawal into the more urban areas, hopefully giving them more attempts to ambush Tevos's forces and thin them out until Aria's fleet would be able to rout Tevos's fleet. But as hours, and even a day passed, with the enemy getting closer and closer to Afterlife, and the fleet slowly getting decimated in their desperate assaults, it became clear that Tevos would eventually have control of Omega, unless if reinforcements came. And as the first artillery shell struck Afterlife, Aria, Nyreen, and two of their most loyal and dedicated Lieutenants came up with a plan. They would contact the Alliance, and hopefully they would send a fleet to assist them. But they only had enough power in the QEC to allow one call, and then they would be deaf. As a second shell struck Afterlife, Aria decided it was worth the risk. Either way, without reinforcements, Omega would fall.

The call was placed to Ambassador Goyle on the Embassy, which was still in Alliance hands, thanks to Prowlers delivering supplies to the defenders. Unfortunately Goyle wasn't on the Embassy, but the Chief of Mission there routed the call to Goyle. When Goyle answered, she showed her surprise at talking to the Queen of Omega, but she quickly cleared it up.

Goyle said, "Hello, Aria. What may I help you with?"

Since all of Aria's calls to Goyle before had been about getting help for something, it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that this call would be for help also.

Aria said, "You know why, Ambassador. Omega is under attack, and we're losing the battle. Without reinforcements, we're going to lose the battle, and every mercenary organization will be working for Tevos. Even your Equinox group that's keeping the other forces out of their territory."

Goyle looked at Aria, and said, "Equinox has orders to fight to the last. They were put there to help you in the inevitable fight when the Council tired of Omega. What the hell did you do?"

Aria would've blushed slightly if she wasn't skilled at keeping her emotions to herself, and said, "We had a little disagreement. Now, will you help?"

A little disagreement was a major understatement, and the look on Goyle's face showed that she knew it too. But Omega was too important to let fall into Tevos's hands, and Goyle looked behind the screen of the QEC, then nodded at someone behind it.

She said, "Very well. A fleet will be there shortly. But my commanders are going to have OPCON of your forces."

The former Commando looked at the Ambassador like she was crazy, but knowing that it was something that would help Omega, said, "Fine. I'll owe you one."

"You bet your ass you will. Goyle out."

The QEC turned off as the last of its power ran out, and the occupants of Afterlife stared at each other for a second, before the lower ranks let out cheers at having reinforcements. The four leaders of the defense of Omega left the room, and went to Aria's private room which had been turned into a command center. Two Talons and six of Aria's people were outside the door, and saluted them when they entered the room.

Nyreen said, "So they're sending reinforcements?"

Aria nodded, and said, "Yes. But they'll be wanting something in return. It'll either be something really big, like the fleet, or really light, like the use of connections, or us acting as middlemen. I've done deals with Goyle before, and it always ends up with them either using as middlemen for intelligence operations, or the establishment of Equinox when they decided we couldn't be trusted after some intelligence somehow fell in Spectre hands."

Aria's Lieutenant, a Krogan by the name of Grunt, said, "Somehow? Aria, you had the courier hand it directly to the damn Spectre."

Grunt, although having been in the underworld for almost his entire life, was still somewhat good hearted. He never betrayed clients whenever he was on a contract, although that changed after the contract was over. And he was the only one to vehemently be against selling out the Alliance to the Spectres whenever the Spectres approached Aria.

Aria said, "That's not important right now. What we need to do is to secure some likely landing zones for the Alliance troops. If they can't get on the ground, then we won't have reinforcements except for space and air, and then we'll bear the brunt of the casualties in retaking Omega."

Nyreen, Aria, Grunt, and Nyreen's Lieutenant, a Human merc named Oleg Petrovsky, who had been a Corporal in the First Contact War, began studying the tactical map of Omega that was projected on the table in front of them. Each of them were circling likely LZs for the Alliance forces, except for Petrovsky.

When Nyreen brought the matter up, Oleg said, "The Alliance won't use the LZs we set up, at least not until they have their own people secure it. Airborne drops are going to be conducted all over the city along with ODSTs, since there's no AA up. Hornets are going to be maneuvering rapid assault teams into enemy lines, while Albatross dropships will be putting down armor alongside Ospreys and Seahawks putting down infantry. Then there'll be gunships in the air, since they won't care about the damages done to Omega. They just want it out of Tevos's hands. Hell, I won't even be surprised if they did a repeat of Requiem to take out one of Tevos's planet."

Requiem had become common knowledge among those not involved with the battle when a security leak orchestrated by Tevos told reporters. Everyone in Council space had been freaked out by the power of the Forerunners, to be able to fling a planet into a star using slipspace, along with creating an artificial planets and stars.

Aria asked, "What do you mean?"

"Put engines and slipspace generators on Omega, or just engines. If you do the slipspace option, you can send the asteroid through it, and send it at a planet or star. And if you just do the engines, then you can send it through a Mass Relay. I doubt they will, unless if it's against the Batarians. And then it's anyone's guess on what they're going to do."

Suddenly the door shot open, and one of the guards said, "Ma'm, they just announced that the Alliance is present in the system."

As the leaders of the Omega resistance as the news reports were calling it looked at each other, they all knew that the Battle for Omega was just getting started.

* * *

A.N.: So, hope you enjoyed. My goal was originally to have an entire chapter dedicated to showing you how the AFO teams fought, but then I decided to include the intro to Omega as well, giving me an entire chapter dedicated to Omega. "Yay!" Anyway, so tell me what you think, and if you guys have any battles, tactics, SFOs, or anything really, you would like to see, and I'll see if I can include it. ONISAD is used with original author's attention.

* * *

Response to Guest Reviews That Attracted My Attention

To Revealer: Okay, so I'm assuming from stealing material from an author that you're talking about Andrithir correct? Well, if it is Andrithir, then I am actually using ONISAD with his permission, as stated in an earlier chapter and an earlier response to another review where they said I was stealing material. I guess that's not enough, so I'll start adding that to the Disclaimers and Author's Notes only codename I believe I have in common with his ONISAD-SOG is currently Sandman, and I decided on using Sandman because he was the most badass character in MW3 after Price and Soap. Since those are the only things you mentioned, I guess I'll stop my review there.

To DarkOne: Yes it is an act of war, and yes it was sloppy. But it was somewhat smart, because it's done all the time in today's world. It's just bad luck that they chose T'soni. And yes, T'soni is completely unmoral, but she's not a to the highest bidder type of person either. At first, she actually would be considered an extremist for the other side, in trying to change the Council for the better. But something happened, and now she's loyal to Tevos, and Tevos only. Not the Asari Republics, or the Council. Hell, she would nuke Thessia if Tevos ordered her to. Don't know if I've portrayed that accurately yet, and if I haven't, I'll have to do something about it.

* * *

_"The MV-32 Osprey dropship is one of the best pieces of technology I've ever seen. Capable of carrying thirty fully armored and armed Spartans, the Osprey is the primary dropship used by everybody, except for Airborne on drops. Armed with three M172 LAAGs, two on the side doors, and one on the ramp, it can provide support if necessary, although the LAAGs are mainly purposed for clearing LZs before insertions. The defenses on the Osprey is intense, with the first ever combined use of a MANTLE defense system, the missile defense shields that is able to detonate missiles before impact at a volume of twelve missiles per second, a CONCRETE energy shield, that keeps the bullets and the shockwave from the prematurely detonated missiles away, and a radar-guidance defense system merely known as WHEAT. Even I don't even know what WHEAT does. But it sure as hell has a funny name."_

_-Colonel Jordan Harris, CO of the 162nd SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment), the 'Invisibles'_


	21. Omega

On the Brink (Rewrite)

First Battle for Omega

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but I wish I did. ONISAD is used with permission from original author.

* * *

_"Watchtower is something that wasn't even in the design books when the idea came up. You see, one of the designers for equipment to search for tagged items, such as nuclear weaponry or packages that go missing, was happening to watch an ancient tv show known as the Justice League with his son, and one of the episodes showed the Watchtower, which was a huge structure orbiting Earth that was the base of the Justice League. And that's how the idea of our own Watchtowers came about. They're put in the atmospheres of planets, an they assist police in searching for criminals, or in any matter that requires searching for something, or someone. They're also mobile, although they're only capable of being deployed by Fiji-class Battlecruisers, Infinity-class ships, and Olympic-class Heavy Cruisers at the moment. It's going to make everything so much easier for us."_

_-Rear Admiral Andrea Vickers, Director of Watchtower Operations_

* * *

Vice Admiral Katherine Drescher sat in the command chair on the bridge of the ASC _Vesuvius_, watching the fleet that Tevos had assembled take position between her fleet, which had integrated Aria's fleet, and Omega. As the standoff, which was just her waiting for the transports to finish their slipspace calculations since they were the only ones without AIs and she believed that the Captains needed to keep their minds sharp, continued, Drescher was thinking on how she would want to conduct the fighting. Electronic Warfare AIs had already deployed, and were within the enemy fleet's systems, just waiting for the word to proceed. Targeting solutions were all ready to go, and the first salvo of energy projectors and missiles alone would be enough to wipe out the enemy fleet in a single salvo, and allow quick access to Omega.

Once access to Omega was open, the transports would jump over Omega, and deploy their forces. The Bunker Hill-class Transports was a fairly radical design, something that one of the ship designers had come up with while studying ancient surface vessels in an attempt to improve on the current surface vessels deployed by the Alliance. They would deploy troops, ODSTs from their pods, Airborne and their equipment by Albatross, while other Albatrosses and Osprey dropships would deploy armor, equipment needed for the formation of Alpha Base, and other conventional forces. AFO teams would deploy from the AIB alongside the ONISAD teams Majestic and Deity, with Talon acting as backup. Their goal was to recapture the warehouse that the primarily Human mercenary organization known as Equinox had lost to the Council forces. What was inside the warehouse was very important to the mission to retake Omega, and to take the fight to Tevos. If it fell into her forces' hands, it would be very detrimental to Alliance plans. And if Aria ever found out about it..Drescher didn't want to think about it. There's a reason why Aria was the Queen of Omega.

Her thoughts were broken when the ship's XO, Captain Hannah Shepard, said, "Admiral, the Transports are ready. All ships are reporting a hundred percent. We're ready to go."

Drescher looked at Shepard, who would be leading the shore party to keep updates from the ground up to the _Vesuvius_. Shepard was originally a ground pounder, leading Force Recon during the Insurrection, before she became unfit for active duty in the Corps when a shard of her bone was blown off due to an IED on Tribute, and she transferred to the Navy to remain in the military. She had proved her worth during the Battle for Reach, taking command of a Stalwart-class Frigate and leading the charge that became known as Shepard's Run to break the line of ships that the Innies had set up.

The Vice Admiral said, "Very well. I want all AIs rocking, disable their weapons systems, shields, life support, everything. We're going to slaughter them."

Hannah nodded, and said, "Got it, Admiral."

Then, addressing the _Vesuvius_'s AI, Khan, who's avatar was that of Genghis Khan, she said, "Khan, tell all of the Electronic Warfare AIs to begin their attack. Disable all life support systems, weapon systems, communications, shields, everything. We don't want any resistance."

Khan's voice said, "Will do, Captain."

As the fleet began moving towards Tevos's assembled fleet, Khan appeared on his pedestal, and said, "Admiral, Captain. The EWAIs are not following orders. They are even keeping me from hacking into the enemy vessels. I managed to take a look at one of their programming. It has been corrupted, and now they are now working for Tevos."

Shepard and Drescher's heads shot up to look at Khan, and asked, "What?"

"The EWAIs have been corrupted, and are now working for Tevos. I believe they will attempt to destroy our fleet. All AIs have taken precautions, but we don't know how long our defenses will last against them. I can already feel them attacking at my walls around the engines."

Khan glitched slightly, and the seriousness of the situation fell upon the two high ranking officers. Shepard immediately ran over to the communications systems, and set it for all ships.

"All ships, this is Captain Shepard on the _Vesuvius_. ACHILLES HEEL, I repeat, ACHILLES HEEL."

ACHILLES HEEL was a contingency plan that had been made specifically for this. After having gone through the Forerunner Archives, they realized that if a Forerunner Ancilla could be corrupted by the Flood, they realized their own AIs could as well. And so the ACHILLES HEEL protocol was made. If an AI was corrupted, the protocol was activated. A localized EMP, set on the AI's data core and completely inaccessible by the corrupted AI, would go off. Although the facility would be down for a second, it would wipe out the corrupted AI, since Doctor Halsey had managed to make a failsafe that would protect a non-corrupted AI, but would disappear when an AI was corrupted. But in the split second between Shepard giving the protocol order, and the activation of the EMPs, was enough time for the EWAIs to do damage to the fleet. Twenty Transports exploded as their reactors were overheated, killing over a hundred thousand Marines in a blink of an eye. Several Frigates were destroyed from the inside out by their reactors overheating. An Olympic-class Heavy Cruiser also exploded, but before any more damage could be caused, the EMPs went off.

But that second the EMP had shut down the ship, Tevos's fleet fired their mass accelerators, all of which ignored Aria's ships in favor of hitting the Alliance. Although the Destroyers, Cruisers, Battlecruisers, and the two Carriers in her fleet were able to take the hits no problem, twelve Frigates were destroyed, while six were dead in water. Rescue immediately began by other Frigates as soon as their power came back on, while the rest of the fleet fired their first salvo, which made up and then some for the Alliance losses. With the original Council fleet at the beginning of the battle three hundred strong going up against an Alliance fleet of a hundred and thirty, the sudden decrease to fifty pretty much put victory in the bag. And as Drescher's fleet closed in for the kill like sharks, they tried to retreat. But the Alliance fleet was having none of that.

A wolfpack of Frigates and a Destroyer entered slipspace and came out behind the Council fleet just as they were beginning to retreat. They fired a salvo from their energy projector, the directed energy easily bypassing the ships' barriers and slaughtering twelve ships. And as a salvo came from the rest of Drescher's fleet, taking the Council fleet down to six, they knew that retreat was no longer an option. With this knowledge, the six ships, still by Omega, immediately turned towards Omega, and in their last second of life, fired a salvo of GUARDIAN lasers, mass accelerators, and disruptor torpedoes towards the surface of the asteroid. And as directed energy tore their ships apart, the Captains knew they had won the battle.

As the transports arrived over Omega, letting off Marines who would be acting as Peacekeepers, since every last soldier fighting for Tevos was killed in the massive orbital strike, Drescher let herself see the devastation that had been caused to the asteroid. Fires raged across the asteroid, and there were holes literally torn into it. And she knew, right then, that Omega would no longer be considered habitable.

She turned to Shepard, and said, "I want HAZMAT clear away the debris, if they're not already on their way. This is going to be a big-ass cluster fuck. I'm going to be in the CIC. Don't disturb me."

"Got it, Admiral."

The CIC was a fairly new invention for the Alliance ships, although it didn't really need a genius to come up with it. In case the bridge was destroyed, or became unsafe, the CIC would become the new command center. It was made up of window panes specifically designed to block energy weapons and bullets, and it was soundproofed and Faraday caged. There were screens all around the room, allowing the commander of the ship to see everything that was going on. The only thing that could get out or in the room electronically was a direct line to HIGHCOM and the Security Council on the Ark.

She typed in the passcode to get the line up, and waited for one of the members of the new Security Council to show up.

Goyle was the one who answered, and with a raised eyebrow, asked, "Yes, Admiral?"

"Ma'am Ambassador, I'm afraid the battle didn't go as planned. They somehow corrupted our AIs, forcing us to use the ACHILLES HEEL protocol. The enemy took advantage of the EMP, and took out several of our ships with their first salvo. Of course we emerged victorious in space as soon as the second had passed, but the situation on the ground is a whole different matter. Tevos's fleet fired disruptor torpedoes, mass accelerators, and even GUARDIAN lasers at the asteroid. The devastation down there is unlike anything I've seen, even the Hillsboro Incident pales in comparison. I got HAZMAT clearing the debris out, and ground units are to be acting in a strictly peacekeeper capacity. Early reports are showing that Aria and the Talons, along with Equinox, are maintaining peace and are cleaning-up what they can."

Goyle's face was one of shock, and slight horror as she processed the information. Despite having seen death and destruction during the Insurrection, Goyle was one who would never get used to it.

Goyle sighed, and said, "Damn. Who would've thought Tevos would do that?"

The two stayed in silence for a minute, until Drescher asked, "Ma'am. I need orders."

"I'll talk it over with Gordon and the others. We'll get back to you. Right now, just keep doing what you're doing."

The COMs channel closed, leaving Drescher alone in the CIC. She leaned back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling, thinking on the major cluster fuck. Shepard would find her asleep like this when she entered the CIC three hours later. It had been sixty-two hours since the Admiral had last slept.

* * *

Paul Demarco, codename Abraham, smirked as he landed on the roof, his M4A9 assault rifle scanning for any potential remaining targets before he got two green lights from Grant, codename Mary, and Thorne, codename Joseph, saying that the area was clear. The ONISAD team known as Majestic quickly got on the ground, and linked up with Deity, led by Talon Three. With an AFO team known as Mako up on the rooftops covering them, they made their way to the warehouse. As they neared, they activated their thermal cameras in an attempt to see if anyone was in the warehouse. The thermal revealed twelve of the Council races, two of which were Krogan while the rest were Salarians. They were all in defensive positions around the warehouse, as if waiting for an attack.

DeMarco stopped Deity and Majestic, and said, "Buddha, this is Abraham. You got the thermal readings?"

The former Talon Three, Buddha, said, "Yeah. They're definitely waiting for us. I don't like it. Why weren't these guys hit by their own weapons? The whole area is damaged, but it's like they were intentionally missed."

"We have a Priority Alpha package in there. They most likely figured out what that package is. And they know we're going to be coming to get it. So, two snipers up on the catwalks, and the rest are spread throughout the warehouse floor. You want to go through the windows, while we go through the front door?"

Buddha said, "You know it Abraham. We'll get in the two buildings on the west and east sides of it, and get into the windows from there."

"Got it. Mako One, this is Abraham. When we go through, I need you to hit the Krogans before they can engage. In our armor, they'll fuck us up."

Mako One said, "Got it, Abraham. We're dialed in and ready for your word."

"Just look for the flashbangs going off."

"Roger that."

As the three teams got in position, DeMarco called up to Drescher on the _Vesuvius_, "Admiral, this is Abraham. We're at the warehouse, but it looks like the bastards left some people behind. We haven't got eyes on the Priority package yet."

Up on the Battlecruiser, Drescher said, "I've got Watchtower searching for it now. Wait, hold on. Okay, it's confirmed. The Priority package is still in the warehouse. You're cleared for anything now, Abraham."

"Got it, Admiral. Abraham out."

As DeMarco cut the COM channel, he scanned the warehouse one more time, and finding the positions of all of the hostiles so he wouldn't be caught by surprise on the way in. When Majestic formed up on the door, DeMarco and Thorne both pulled out flashbangs, while Grant put her M4A9 on her back, while grabbing her M92D shotgun.

DeMarco said, "Mako One, Buddha. You two ready to rock?"

The green lights were all he needed, and he said, "Three, two, one. Start."

He kicked pulled open the door, and threw in his flashbang alongside Thorne, while two sharp cracks announced Mako's shooting. After the flashbangs went off, Grant led the way into the warehouse, quickly finishing off one of the Krogan, who was lying on the floor, groaning in pain from the shot to the stomach that had floored him. The sound of shattering glass announced the entrance of Deity, and the two falling Asari snipers showed that they had the high ground. Between the snipers, Deity up on the catwalks, and Majestic on the ground, the hostiles in the warehouse were all dead within a minute.

With the warehouse secure, Majestic began the search for the Priority Alpha package, with Drescher giving them details on what the box looked like. When they found it, DeMarco was slightly surprised at the size of the package. Telling Drescher they found it, she dispatched an Osprey to come and pick it up.

Grant looked at the box closely, and said, "Thorne, come help me open it."

Thorne looked shocked, and said, "What? No. Who knows what this package is? It could be some biological weapon for all we know."

"You really think that we put a bioweapon on a sovereign planet?"

Thorne looked at DeMarco for help, who just shrugged his shoulders. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to know what it was also. Thorne sighed, and went to help Grant open it. Even though she had no issue, the package was pretty long, to where she would have to break the lid of it to open it. When it was opened, the three former S-IVs stared at the object inside.

It was Buddha who voiced all of their thoughts.

"What the fuck?"

* * *

So, unfortunately I didn't have the mood to write a major combat scene, so I kind of avoided that by having an orbital strike hit Omega. But anyway, I have an idea for Omega that I don't think anyone has used yet, to my knowledge. If anyone has, I'll be pretty disappointed, because I'm pretty excited for what I'm going to do. Anyway, what do you think the package contained?

* * *

_"The Alliance will go down, even if I have to take them down with me."_

_-Tevos to Shiala, Tela Vasir, Liara T'soni, and three unknown individuals_


	22. Interlude 3

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Interlude #3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission from original author.

* * *

_"Hail Mary is a go. I repeat, Hail Mary is a go."_

_-[Redacted] to [Redacted]_

* * *

Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance Edward Gordon sighed, as he listened to the tirade of Aria T'Loak over the orbital bombardment of Omega. If he had any idea she would've reacted like this to something they had no idea of being able to happen, then he would've bombarded Omega himself just so he would be deserving of the tirade. As she went for another rant, Gordon had enough.

"Stop."

The word was so quiet, almost whispered, but it had the desired effect of stopping the rant. Despite Aria's position, she knew that Gordon would be able to do much worse to her than she could ever hope of doing to him.

The Prime Minister said, "Now, I'm sorry for the loss of Omega. But we had no idea that Tevos could corrupt our EWAIs. If we did have any knowledge of her being able to do that, do you think we would've done what Drescher did? No, we wouldn't have. And were we the ones who conducted an orbital bombardment on Omega? No, we didn't. So if you want to rant at someone, why don't you rant at Tevos? Now, if you will kindly shut the fuck up and listen, then we can get down to business."

Aria bit down her scathing reply in favor of nodding, aware of the hidden guns pointed at her and her guards at all times. While her guards bristled at her being talked that way, she made a motion for them to calm.

Seeing that Aria would cooperate, Gordon said, "Alright then. Now, I have managed to convince the Parliament to put aside an asteroid not unlike Omega for you and the citizens of Omega. While it is not the same as Omega, I believe it will be a suitable fit, except for the bullet holes in most of the buildings. The asteroid was the site of a ground battle during the Insurrection, and we never really had anything to do with it after the battle. It's just been sitting there for a while. But unfortunately, I couldn't convince the Parliament to give it you for free. They want something in return."

Now, Aria knew that Gordon was really saying that he wanted something in return, but was just saying it like that for the hell of diplomacy. But she was willing to play along. After all, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, or in this case a gift asteroid. Or whatever that saying is.

She asked, "And what do they want in return?"

"The use of Omega for our own purposes. You see, the Batarians are supporting Tevos, giving her usage of their Relays and the slavers that are influenced by Khar'shan. They want to take Khar'shan out in one fell swoop, and incite a slave rebellion against the Hegemony. And without orders from the higher-ups, their military's going to be at a major disadvantage due to their policies."

Aria didn't let the shock she felt at what Gordon was suggesting appear on her face, a very difficult thing to do. Her guards weren't able to, and she saw Gordon smile thinly at their shock.

She said, "I hope you know what you're proposing?"

"Of course. I don't like it, but the Hegemony has to be dealt with. And it is worth the cost."

Aria sighed, and said, "I hope you know what the consequences could be."

Gordon said, "Of course I do. We've been thinking up plans ever since we first discovered the Council and its history and people. To take out Tevos, and help trillions, we're willing to give the Insurrectionists something to revolt over, something for the other political parties to point fingers at us and say why they're better, and something for Tevos to unite all of the other Council races to her side. It's something we've been making contingencies for. We'll be ready for any reaction the public has."

Aria looked at him, then sighed. Although she didn't want to lose Omega, she knew there was no chance of it ever being the same after the orbital bombardment. And if what he was planning worked, she could see no better way for Omega to end.

"Fine. But it better damn work. I don't want to see _my_ asteroid wasted."

Gordon smiled, and said, "Trust me. It'll work."

"Good."

Zaeed Massani stood outside of the interrogation room, watching Prisoner #127, known as Liara T'soni outside of the prison that she had been put in. He turned to the Asari standing next to him, Matriarch Benezia, leader of the Asari Republic in Exile, and T'soni's mother. Massani, a former S-III during the Insurrection turned merc, looked at the Matriarch as her face went through a myriad of emotions, until it settled on determination. Massani had been hired by ONI along with his own handpicked team of interrogators to question T'soni, and they had brought Benezia in so they could get some idea for her personality.

The Matriarch turned to the merc, and said, "That person there is not my daughter. She may have her body, but she is not her. My daughter would never assist Tevos in overthrowing the Council. She may have hated the Council, but she was supportive of the left-wing groups, not the right-wing like Tevos. Do what you wish, even kill her. That person is not my daughter."

Zaeed looked at the Matriarch, and could see that she was being truthful. Even though she may not like it, she knew that her daughter wasn't the same person as before, and would be willing to kill her. She would shed tears, but it would be necessary. Massani nodded, and then looked at one of the female interrogators he had picked, former Lieutenant Abigail Williams, one of the best interrogators that ONI ever had.

He said, "Williams, choose two others, and get in there. Do whatever it takes to get the information needed. Preferably sharpish, but take however much time you need."

Williams nodded, saying, "Got it, boss. Moss, Sharpe. Let's go."

The three former interrogators, Moss having been in ONI, while Sharpe worked for Cerberus, entered the room, and began their interrogation. With a few quick strokes on a keyboard, merely a formality, all cameras were shut off.

* * *

So, I wasn't in the mood to write a full length chapter, but I had a couple of things in my head that I needed to get out, and thought this was a good idea. Anyway, do any of you guys have any guesses on what's going to happen with Omega?

And I may or may not be portraying Aria accurately to some of you in this story, but this is a different universe than both ME and Halo, so I'm just pretty much doing whatever the heck I want to do.

* * *

_"What kind of name is Soap?"_

_-Captain John Price, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles"_


	23. Hail Mary

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Hail Mary

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission of original author.

* * *

_"There's a theory going around Detachment Alpha that Ginger and Hades are one and the same. They're never on the same ship or op. They both wear balaclavas, and the ops they do go on, are always at least a week apart from each other. It's weird."_

_-Minotaur on Ginger and Hades_

* * *

"Hail Mary is a go. I repeat, Hail Mary is a go."

The Cerberus agent known as Element said, "Got it, Gaia. Team Three's starting up the reactor."

In the week since Omega had been evacuated and given over to the Alliance, Cerberus had been very busy. A reactor made to power up a Forerunner Frigate had been installed on the asteroid along with thrusters, giving it capability to move around. Two slipspace engines had been set up, which had been contained in the Priority Alpha package that Majestic and Deity had secured, giving it the capability to enter slipspace. As the reactor powered up, Team Two, led by the Cerberus agent known as Hydro, activated the thrusters.

Hydro said, "Thrusters activated. Give us the word on when to start moving."

Across the asteroid, Team One, led by Newton, activated the slipspace engines, waiting for them to get to a hundred percent power.

Newton said, "Slipspace engines are activated. Start moving now, it'll be a minute before it's ready to go."

"Got it, Newton. Thrusters at fifty percent now."

As the asteroid started moving, all three teams received a hail from the Stealth Destroyer that was covering them, "Teams, this is Gaia. We're reading that everything's operational. Get back on board, and we'll handle everything from here."

All three teams showed green lights in response, and when their extraction arrived, they boarded the Osprey dropship and headed up to the _Midlothian_, from where the thrusters were turned to a hundred percent and Omega dropped into slipspace. It was only a matter of time now.

Charn, the Captain of the Batarian Dreadnought _For Treasure_, stood in the CIC monitoring the traffic and communications around Khar'shan. The former Batarian slaver had been put in the Hegemony's military after his actions on Mindoir, and he had quickly risen through the ranks. Although he was unlike other officers and soldiers in the fact that he promoted individual initiative and mobility, due to his time having to remain mobile to avoid Council and Alliance patrols, and sometimes, had to have a subordinate get him out of a tight spot after being ambushed. But it worked, and soon he had risen up to commanding the Second Home Defense Fleet, which was formed around the Relay while the First was formed around Khar'shan. The two separate fleets would wreak havoc on anyone with the balls to attack Khar'shan.

It was a calm day for Charn, but that would end momentarily.

Alarms suddenly started blaring in every ship in the Home Defense Fleet, while a sensors officer told Charn, "Sir, we're getting readings of an FTL exit vector. Signature matches the Alliance."

Charn said, "Get all weapons online. Get between the exit vector and Khar'shan. We'll slow these fuckers down."

In the five minutes it took for whatever was coming to exit, the air became tense in both Home Defense Fleets. But it became even worse when they saw what was coming through.

Charn yelled, "All ships open fire! Take that fucking thing out! Tell Khar'shan!"

As the asteroid known as Omega moved towards Khar'shan, mass accelerator rounds from the Home Defense Fleets smacked into it. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of not being part of the Citadel races was their access to technology. The Batarians were one generation behind the rest of the Council, and so their weapons weren't doing much to Omega. If Omega had been engaged by a Turian fleet, their mass accelerators at a hundred percent power would've torn the asteroid apart. But the Batarian weaponry wouldn't do shit.

As it became obvious the asteroid couldn't be stopped, the First Home Defense Fleet started the evacuation of Khar'shan. But it was obvious that the asteroid would hit before it could be completed. The VIs put it at twenty minutes before the asteroid hit Khar'shan at the speed it was going. But the situation became worse when Omega suddenly sped up, and the VIs' calculations changed from twenty minutes to ten minutes. It would be a close call if the Hegemony leadership was able to be evacuated.

Charn watched in horror as the asteroid struck Khar'shan, letting loose an explosion the size of the nuclear bomb that had been planted by the Turians on Tuchanka in case the Krogans ever got out of control. Combined with the force of an asteroid slamming into the planet, huge fissures showed up on Khar'shan, gradually increasing, until the Batarian homeworld literally broke apart. The broken planet had exploded at such force, that several pieces struck the First Home Defense Fleet, destroying most of the fleet.

As Charn watched, his wits slowly came about him. He began thinking, trying to remember the contingency plans that had been created by the Hegemony for just this reason. If there was one thing about being a paranoid government, it was that they had contingencies for everything, even their homeworld being destroyed and the government not surviving. As the contingency known as A-214 came to his mind, he began giving orders.

"I want a com link to both the Citadel, direct line to Tevos, and to Governor Balak. Activate all weapon systems, in case the bastards try a naval attack. Alert the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet, and bring them back here. Search for any surviving shuttles or life pods."

The link to Balak was made first, and when Balak's face appeared on the screen, Charn said, "Congratulations, Governor. You are now the leader of the Batarian Hegemony. The Alliance bastards have destroyed Khar'shan. They crashed Omega into it."

Balak and Charn worked out all the details, and when they were done, the image of Balak was replaced by an image of Tevos.

The Asari dictator asked, "Yes?"

"You told my government to contact you if anything happens regarding the Alliance. Well, something's happened."

Tevos looked at Charn, and asked, "What?"

"They launched Omega into Khar'shan. There's no survivors, and Balak is now the head of government."

Tevos was quiet for a minute before saying, "Well, that is terrible that your homeworld was destroyed. Do you know if there were any people on Omega?"

"There were no signs of life, although there was orbital bombardment damage to the station."

Tevos muttered a curse, then said, "Very well. Will you need any help?"

Charn shook his head, and said, "Not yet."

"Okay. If you ever need anything, you know who to come to. Tevos out."

The screen went blank, causing Charn to sigh. It was a long day at work.

* * *

So. Definitely my shortest chapter to date, but this was just an attempt to include the Batarians somewhat. The ramifications and benefits of this action will be explored in further chapters. Anyway, sorry for the chapter being so short, but it was kind of hard writing such an unrealistic chapter. But hopefully this will be the last one like it.

* * *

_"Well that's interesting."_

_-Zaeed Massani to Abigail Williams_


	24. Espionage Cells

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Meetings

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission of Andrithir.

* * *

_"Part of Cerberus's job is manage and control espionage cells within Council space. It's all compartmentalized in such a way that no one, not even Osman, has knowledge of all of the cells. Although Flame might know of all of them. But then again, what doesn't he know? Anyway, these espionage cells are kind of like the terror cells ran by the ISI during the 21st Century until they were disbanded after the Indian-Pakistan War. They receive orders from Cerberus, and they carry them out. Everyone knows that they're being handled by someone else, but there's no way to prove it. Kind of like the Christian terror groups being handled by the Vatican."_

_-Deputy Director of Cerberus Operations, General Kyle Walcroft_

* * *

Over the years since the First Contact War between the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council, Cerberus had been very busy in recruitment. Unlike a certain group known as Terra Firma, they were not Human supremacists, who wanted Humanity to be the dominant race in the galaxy. The black ops organization honestly cared for the good of the galaxy, and they were the monsters in the night who caused nightmares, willing to do whatever it took. One of the things that they did was recruit members from every race that wasn't a member of the Systems Alliance, and many of these recruits were people unhappy with the current situation of the galaxy.

Cerberus provided the organization, training, and weapons needed for these unhappy people to become fighters, waiting for the opportunity to try and overthrow the Council. Well, that time was now.

* * *

On the Citadel, three shadowy individuals were meeting at Flux, talking quietly. This was no strange occurrence at Flux, and so did not attract the attention of the C-Sec officers eating at the nightclub.

The Turian known to the two other s only as Wreath was saying, "I have received word from Pharaoh. The message was one to begin preparations for Trojan Horse."

The second talker was a Hanar, known to his companions as Albert, said, "It will take a week for me to get everything ready. What about you, Maryland?"

Maryland, a Salarian, said, "Three days. We've been preparing for weeks, ever since the war began."

Wreath said, "Good. You know how much time is left before Trojan Horse. We're going to be ready if this is going to work. Now, let's finish our drinks and leave. We've been here long enough as is."

* * *

On Ilium, a meeting exactly like the one on the Citadel was occurring at one of the bars there. This time, there were two at the table instead of three, and both of them were Asari. Like the group on the Citadel, they only knew each other by code names, and they were both wearing hoods to hide their identities. This was common enough on the corporate world to not attract attention from anyone.

The Asari known as Malignant was saying, "Word has gone through that Trojan Horse is confirmed."

Hydra said, "Really?"

"Yes. Are your people ready?"

"Give me two days to a week."

"Good. You know where to meet next time."

* * *

Meetings like this occurred all over Council space, ranging from Thessia, to Palaven, to Sur'Kesh. And they were all about the same thing. An operation merely known as Trojan Horse. No one throughout Council space knew what Trojan Horse actually was, as each cell had its own job that no one else knew about. Only Cerberus knew the full plans of Trojan Horse. 'Tis the life of revolutionary cells.

Each cell consisted of anywhere from three to twenty members, and each cell had their own job, ranging from taking over a communications building or attacking a military base, to recruiting mercenaries. One cell even had the job of picking up the trash from an apartment building. Of course, they didn't know what was in the trash, or their whole mission was picking up that one set of trash. And if each cell did their job correctly, then Trojan Horse would be a success. But it was all riding on the cells.

Two weeks after the cell leaders had met to relay the message, another message was sent to the cells. This one was from the higher ups of Cerberus, and with an anonymous electronic signature that if they knew how to identify it, would match that of the Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance when giving the order for a black operation. And since no one knew it was his signature, the Prime Minister would remain safe, able to hide behind the front of Cerberus.

The message read, "Trojan Horse is a go. You know what to do."

* * *

On Thessia, two cells were working in concert with each other, although only one knew that there was another cell out there. The cell without knowledge of the other espionage act had orders to plant explosives on a refinery next to a Command base, which had been training Tevos Loyalists ever since her takeover. When the explosion would go off, the other cell would break into the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery, which had been carefully and secretly supplied with arms when it became clear to the Alliance and Cerberus leadership that the treatment of the Asari became ten times worse under Tevos, who was racist against purebloods, hiding the fact that she was one herself. And with the Ardat-Yakshi hating their treatment at Tevos's hands, they would supply a good amount of resistance on Thessia.

The cell tasked with destroying the refinery was made up of six Asari, two of them former Commandos, one a former Spectre, and the other three were regular Asari trained in espionage by Cerberus on their training grounds on Piccolo, one of the planets secretly used by the black operations organization. A Resistance sympathizer had given them the keys to the refinery, and as a shuttle searching for those defying curfew flew past them, its searchlight elsewhere, the cell entered the refinery, two guards dropping dead silently when knives found their way to their throats. The Spectre and one of the Commandos hid the bodies while the others began planting explosives in key spots. Three more guards were killed before all explosives were set, and once they were, the espionage cell carefully made their way to a safe distance from the refinery and waited. A shuttle was approaching the refinery, and the cell didn't want to miss a chance at causing more damage to Tevos's operations, even if it was a lone shuttle.

When the shuttle came over the refinery, unknowingly to its doom, the cell leader, the Spectre, detonated the explosives. The fireball was massive, catching the shuttle, while also spreading to the Commando base next to it. Focused on treating their wounded and stopping the fire, none of the Asari Commandos noticed the six Asari leaving the area.

The fireball was enormous, more than enough to signal the cell that would rescue the Ardat-Yakshi. This cell was made up of twelve members, led by a former Spectre like the other cell. The cell consisted of two former Spectres, including the leader, six former Commandos, two former Justicars, and two civilians trained in espionage by Cerberus. As the debris from the explosion covered several blocks, the cell, dressed up as normal civilians, made their move.

They pulled out their assault rifles, which had been funneled through an Eclipse weapons-smuggling ring who thought they were for Tevos's own activities, surprising the Monastery guards, who had though they were just civilians enjoying the night. Before the guards could react, they were killed in a storm of fire, allowing the cell all the time in the world to get through the walls. A shot from the M-920 Cain being carried by one of the Justicars, Samara, who had two daughters at the Monastery, breached the perimeter, allowing the cell entrance to the Monastery. Once they were inside, a firefight broke out between the inner perimeter guards and half of the cell, while the other half entered the building itself when another shot from the Cain made an opening. When the team got inside the building, they were slightly surprised to see that the guards were already dead, having been taken out by the Ardat-Yakshi when they heard the explosions.

Since there was no need for the team to proceed further into the Monastery, they quickly made their way out. Even though untrained in the use of tactics, it wasn't difficult for the Ardat-Yakshi to point and pull the trigger. Under the overwhelming fire, the rest of the guards were killed, although they put up a fight all the way to the motor pool, where the skycars there were taken. As the first responders arrived in shuttles and armored vehicles, they discovered that they were about ten minutes too late. And all of the Ardat-Yakshi were gone, along with those who broke them out. Tevos would be pissed.

* * *

On Ilium, much the same thing was happening, except this time, it was a targeted hit on an office building instead of a breakout. Under the cover of darkness, a team of four, led by a Salarian STG agent, had made their way onto the surrounding rooftops, and clandestinely inserted onto the top floor of the building, bypassing most of the security systems since the owners of the building never thought of an attack coming from the surrounding rooftops as plausible. They quickly covered the top floor in explosives, careful to make sure that they wouldn't be detected by the morning security sweep, then left the building before the roving security guards checked the top floor.

The next morning, an explosion lit up the top floor of the building, sending glass and debris raining down on the civilians below. One was killed, and assumed to be an accidental death by the authorities. Only Cerberus, the Alliance, and Tevos's Inner Circle knew that the civilian below was the true target.

* * *

The espionage operations on the Citadel was an entirely different thing. Due to Tevos being on the Citadel, and in public, Cerberus and the Alliance didn't want to attract any attention to the station whatsoever, and miss their window to take out Tevos for real this time. One cell that had a couple of members in C-Sec managed to download a virus into the Citadel Defense Network, but it required a codeword to do its job. Another virus was put on the Citadel News Network, again, requiring a codeword to begin its job. The cell assigned to collect the laundry did their job, handing it off to another cell that they couldn't see. The information located inside the laundry made its way to the right hands, and as it was read, the Alliance Security Council approved the final plans for Trojan Horse. It would be a harrowing couple of days.

* * *

A.N.: Sigh, another short-ish chapter. But I can't really see this chapter being much longer anyway, and it's leading up to things to come. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy. The next chapter should be up by the end of the week, but I'm not positive, since there's finals.

* * *

DarkOne (Guest): Man, you really need to start reviewing from an account, because to be honest, this is getting kind of annoying having to reply like this. Oh well, since it's constructive criticism with good points, I'll allow you to keep reviewing like this.  
So, I can understand why you say Benezia isn't Benezia. While normally true, this is not Mass Effect, and is not really following the games. Different people, different generations, different situations. If I was following the ME-verse, Benezia wouldn't even be alive, and there wouldn't be a Council. And in the games, she was the one indoctrinated, and wanted to protect her daughter like you mentioned in your review. But in this story, T'soni is the bad one, not Benezia. And there, we have a totally different situation. Now, even though I haven't mentioned this, in her position as Shadow Broker, T'soni gave Tevos information that resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. Even though Benezia loves her daughter, she's a Matriarch. Who do you think she's going to choose? The many, or the one? And I don't believe I had her say to kill T'soni if needed, but if I did, then my answer stays the same. And the fact that my ME characters bear no resemblance to the ones in the game, is again, a different plot than the one in the game. I could make everything all sunshine and rainbows, with a mother fighting against indoctrination to keep her daughter safe. But its not, and there are daughters who are completely willing to kill their mothers, without an ounce of regret, like in the real world.  
Sorry if I kind of raged at you, but I honestly don't like the fact that most stories are sunshine and rainbows.

* * *

_"Is everything ready?"_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"Good. Trojan Horse is a go. I repeat, Trojan Horse is a go."_

_-Osman to Cerberus_


	25. Trojan Horse-Citadel

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Trojan Horse-Citadel

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"Lieutenant Austin Hunt was a 'black' operator during the Insurrection. Almost all of his missions require a Zulu-Three clearance to even see the blacked-out reports. And for a good reason. No one wants to know how desperate we got during the Insurrection, and if the general public finds out how far we went to keep the UNSC and the UEG from collapsing. Even Parangosky gets disgusted with herself some times when she reads what she had ordered back then. So many deaths, for so little results. But desperate times call for desperate measures."_

_-Colonel Herzog, Section Zero_

* * *

The Cerberus agent known as Flame stood in the descending shuttle, looking at the reports coming in from the cells on the Citadel. All reports showed that everything was ready, and as the pilot said that there were two minutes until they landed, Flame made his decision. After all, if the defense turrets hadn't shot them down yet, then that meant the virus had worked.

"All units, this is Flame. Helen, Helen, Helen."

There were resounding cheers in the shuttles being used by Cerberus as the attack on the Citadel became confirmed. Flame checked over his Harrier Carbine, a specially made weapon system specifically made for this. As light as a M17 SMG, but packing the punch of the MK22 EBR, the Harrier made his job a lot easier. If there was one good thing he could say about Osman, was that she wasn't afraid to approve of things that would assist in the field. No matter the cost.

Flame looked at the ten other Cerberus operatives in GEN3 armor, a generation behind the rest of their augmented comrades in the Alliance, and said, "You know the drill. Rock, you cover our dismount with the turrets. You'll be providing support throughout the fighting. Typhoon, Hawkeye, you get up high and provide cover until we reach the split. Then I want one of you with me, and one of you with Frost. Frost, your team takes the C-Sec offices. My team, we're going after Tevos. We've practiced this a million goddamn times. Let's make this work people."

The operation had been in planning for years, the teams trained and materials gathered. Six freighters, under the flag of the Vol Protectorate, had been modified into Cruisers, with weapon systems capable of being hidden should the need arise that they melt into the crowd of a busy system if they have a need for escape. Each freighter carried a hundred Cerberus operatives, more than enough to take out Tevos. The shuttles were protected by shields, and armed with a Minuet rocket system, a prototype chaingun, and two Mosaic bombs, capable of knocking out an Ares tank. A virus had been downloaded onto the Citadel Defense Network, taking out the turrets on the Citadel, hopefully for the duration of the op.

When the shuttle hovered over a landing pad, acting like it was about to land, Flame said, "All units. Go, go, go!"

He opened the door, and led the way out, surprising the two C-Sec Customs officers who were approaching. Before they could react, two suppressed shots from his M9ES took them down. The crowd around the landing pads had no idea something was wrong, until shots broke out from another pad that a team led by Granite was landing at. As everybody got out of the shuttle, it hovered higher, allowing Rock to empty rounds into the Citadel Control, and taking out a possible sniper position. As another shuttle came in to land, letting off two light vehicles for the team coming in after it, Flame and Frost led the Cerberus operatives off of the landing pad. They noticed that the Citadel News Network was already reporting on the fighting, just as planned. A virus that had been downloaded to the Network would allow updates to teams in the field using hidden code words in case communications was cut.

Gunfire echoed as firefights raged between the Defense Forces, made up of mainly C-Sec officers and groundside combatants, and the Cerberus teams elsewhere on the space station. They provided whatever help they could, while maintaining their speed towards their objectives. The Cerberus unit stopped at an intersection, with one way heading to the Executor and C-Sec officers, and the other way going towards the Council Chambers.

Flame said, "You know what to do Frost. Good luck."

The two teams split, with Frost's team going to hit the C-Sec offices while Flame and his team continued their way to the Council Chambers. Sharp cracks from Hawkeye's SRS103 covering them were met by high volumes of fire as C-Sec and the other defenders tried to take out the devastatingly accurate sniper. Flame gave orders, and using the biotics that the assault team had as a result of Cerberus experimentation, they punched a hole through the defenders. As they turned to the elevators, they saw Granite's team making their way as well. Flame heard the sharp crack of the C-Sec sniper, and a second later, Onyx went down, a hole through his head. He brought up his Harrier, and unleashed rounds on the sniper's position. Another member of his team, seeing where the rounds were hitting, brought up his SA-39, on free-fire mode, and let loose, making sure that the sniper wouldn't be able to fight another day. As the fighting continued, Flame ran over to Granite.

"Is Tevos still in the Chambers?"

"As far as we know, yes! We lost feed from the security cameras when the Spectres let off an EMP in their office! I've got Sniper Team Six watching it."

"Good. Now let's move. Our window's closing fast."

Flame and Granite gave orders, and called in an Atlas mech, a modified Mantis that simply exchanged the old ballistic weapons for energy ones. When the Atlas dropped from a shuttle, the operator unleashed torrents of heavy fire, slaughtering the defenders. Under the cover of destruction, the Cerberus operatives got in two elevators. They didn't immediately go up, as they checked their ammo and wounded. When Kai Leng arrived with reinforcements, they had just finished with their checks. The three teams readied themselves, then activated the elevators. At each floor they passed, the tension in the air became thicker and thicker, until they arrived on the correct floors. As the doors opened, gunfire ripped through the elevator from the defenders in the hallway.

Shields flickered as the operatives ran out, and despite Flame telling him not to, Leng was in the lead, his sword and M9ES out. The assassin showed his prowess by surviving, but that could've had something to do with Flame covering his back the entire time.

When the enemies were clear, Flame rounded on Leng, "Get your ass in check, Leng. I don't want to see that again. If I do, I'm going to put a round through your fucking brain myself. You hear me?"

Leng grudgingly nodded, not liking that he was at a heavy disadvantage. Flame not only had the experience and strength to beat him, but also the skill. If anyone could be considered a natural at war, Flame would be one of those.

"Good. I'm sure that Osman doesn't want her pet to be buried six feet under."

Flame, satisfied that Leng would fall in line, led the way further into the halls, pushing towards the Council Chambers. The two had never got along, with Leng being a cocky SOB, and Flame being Flame. In the ops that Leng led, there was always a higher casualty rate than Flame's ops, but Osman favored Leng despite this, with Leng acting as the ever loyal puppet and Osman as the puppet master.

When the Cerberus force arrived at the Council Chambers, which had been locked down tight, Flame and Granite, with Leng throwing in unhelpful ideas, came up with a breaching plan. The schematics of the space station that had been given to the assault leaders had mentioned windows in the Chamber, which were bulletproof. But they weren't skycar proof.

When the hijacked skycar slammed through the windows, it took the waiting C-Sec and Spectres by surprise, and opening them up for a blindside. Sniper fire poured through the now destroyed windows, while Flame and Granite led the way in. Flame was firing at snipers on the upper floors, with twenty-seven operatives behind him. He threw a fragmentation grenade up to the third floor, then used a biotic to get up to the second floor. A biotic threw a Singularity at him, but it was completely useless as Flame continued to place accurate fire downrange. When it stopped, he pulled his M9E and put two rounds through the biotic's head. Seeing that there was only one more enemy left on the second floor, Flame drew his hatchet, letting out his bloodthirsty side. He walked over to the Turian, who emptied a clip from his Phaeston into him, barely taking his shields down to fifty percent. The Turian quickly reloaded, and brought his assault rifle up, but Flame was already on him. Flame's left arm brought the Phaeston pointed at the ground in case the rifle discharged, while the right arm drove the hatchet into the alien's chest. He ripped it out, and threw it across the room to take out a C-Sec sniper under Cloak.

When the Chambers were secured, and there was no sign of Tevos, Flame contacted Mandarin, who was monitoring all events on the Citadel, "Do you have a bead on Tevos? She escaped during the fighting."

There was never a reply from Mandarin as the comms went down, and Tevos's voice came out over the speakers.

"You thought it would've been that easy to get me? Think again."

Suddenly, beeping lit up the room, causing everybody to yell, "Bombs!"

Flame shoved a nearby operator to the ground before the explosives went off, knocking him to the floor, and causing his non-helmeted head to slam into a wall. He blearily looked around before everything went black.

* * *

When his eyes opened, it was to the sight of seeing Granite firing towards the door where they had entered from. As Granite dropped to a knee and reloaded, he happened to see that Flame was conscious. He tossed Flame a M9E along with an extra clip, before popping back up to shoot at the invisible target. Flame struggled to his feet, and when he saw Tevos's forces at the door, trying to get through the killbox that had been set up by the conscious Cerberus operatives, he pointed the pistol at them and began to shoot. When the clip ran dry, he picked up his Harrier, which was the only one in the entire room using red instead of blue paint. He fired a couple of bursts, before he tried the comms.

"Anyone there, this is Flame. I repeat, anyone there?"

When there was no reply, Flame cursed before taking a glance at where Sniper Team Six was. They were in a firefight themselves, trying to stop the flow of hostiles from getting out of hand, but the attention was somewhat attracted to them as well. Seeing that they were in good condition, Flame turned back to the current issue at hand.

He said, "Any way out?"

Granite said, "No. They've got skycars coming in almost every minute. There's not enough of us to push through. And the explosion took out the rear exit. Unless if you want to jump out?"

When Flame looked at him, Granite asked, shocked, "You're serious? We're ten fucking stories up."

"I've survived worse. Try to get everyone conscious. If you can't, then leave them. We'll get them back."

Granite nodded. Even though they didn't like the fact that they would be leaving fellow operatives behind, it was their line of work. When twenty-two operatives were ready to jump, the smoke grenades that they had were pulled, covering the entire room in smoke, and the operatives jumped out of the hole that the skycar had caused. They landed hard, although the armor took most of the force. Gunfire lit up the street as they engaged the Council forces, and slowly they escaped out of the area, leading C-Sec and Spectres on a chase through the streets, slowly separating into groups. When Flame and Granite arrived at a designated evac site, they boarded the shuttle, only to be met with three Turians and an Asari pointing heavy Scorpion pistols at them.

As they dropped their weapons, although Flame didn't give up his hatchet, Tela Vasir stepped out from behind the four aliens, and said, "Yes, I think Tevos will be pleased with you two."

Before anything could happen though, there was a shout of "For Vakarian" from outside the shuttle, and gunfire lit up. The three Turians started to fire at whoever was outside, but whoever the assaulters were killed them with accurate fire.

Vasir, gripping her own Scorpion, yelled at the other Asari, "Check it out!"

Big mistake. When the Asari leaned her head out of the doorway, Flame and Granite exploded into action. Granite withdrew his knife, and stabbed the Asari in the back, while Flame took his hatchet, and slammed the flat side of it into Vasir's face, knocking her back. A second blow knocked her out cold. The two Cerberus operatives grabbed their guns, then checked outside of the shuttle themselves. A Turian was pointing a rifle at them, until he saw they were humans.

He smiled, and said, "Go now. Before they cut off your escape. We'll stay here, and fight this regime. It's our job as C-Sec after all."

Flame and Granite bid the C-Sec officers good-bye, wishing them luck, before they flew the shuttle up to one of the modified freighters, which exited by FTL before it could be destroyed by the Citadel Defense Fleet.

* * *

A.N.: So, I don't really like how some of the chapter went, but I think it turned out well. And the rest of Trojan Horse will make up the next chapter, which will be shorter, since this was the major battle. Although I'm fairly confident I could extend it without making it seem extended, if that makes sense. Anyway, I was looking at the earlier chapters for this story, and it made me realize how small these chapters I'm writing right now are compared to the earlier ones. It's terrible! And eventually my chapters will get to that length again.

* * *

_"Kai Leng is an assassin. One of the best we have. His operations are quiet, and he's in and out before anyone knows. He has a fifty percent more success rate than Flame on personal missions. I would recommend him to take command of Cerberus after I'm gone."_

_-Serin Osman_

_"He's an idiot."_

_-Margaret Orlenda Parangosky_


	26. Trojan Horse-End

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Trojan Horse Part 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission of original author.

Note: Those who don't like character deaths, don't read.

Acronyms you'll see in the chapter: ART (Advanced Recon Team), ADF (Asari Defense Forces), UCAD (Unmanned Combat Assault Drone), UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), UAT (Unmanned Aerial Transport)

* * *

_"What the fuck?"_

_-Abigail Williams_

* * *

Like on the Citadel, the Cerberus assault on Thessia was conducted by makeshift Cruisers disguised as freighters. The only differences between the two assaults were objectives, terrain, location, and the size of the forces. The Cerberus forces on Thessia numbered at four thousand, since this was an invasion, not a hit-and-run to take out Tevos. There were twenty of the makeshift Cruisers providing support for the Cerberus operatives, while seven Frigates operated by Aria's mercenary forces were acting as ground support. The Asari Defense Forces had been caught by surprise at the amount of troops, and the rapidness of the assault, and with the cells operated by Cerberus having done more to prepare for the attack than the cells on the Citadel, they had a hard time organizing a defense. And Cerberus took full advantage of that.

* * *

Jacob Taylor, a former Recon Marine before joining the Corsairs and eventually Cerberus, sat in the shuttle, listening to one of his fellow operatives, Marcus, playing an old twenty-third century song through his speakers. Taylor was looking at his datapad, studying the imagery of the battlefield. Initial successes had overextended Cerberus lines, and relying on the rapid mobility to fix holes in the lines that the Asari defenders punch through, they didn't have enough time to bring armor to the surface. And the Asari were taking full advantage of that. But the situation still allowed other Cerberus teams to search for Prothean beacons and intelligence relating to Tevos's activities. And Taylor's force was on one such mission.

A Prothean Beacon had been discovered inside the Ursula Mountain Range, and unfortunately for Cerberus, the Asaris had already discovered it, and they were already looking for it. There were probably a hundred or so Asari combatants looking for it, and Taylor only had twenty men with him, although the third and fourth shuttles had an Atlas Mech each, and the fifth carried Mongooses for the force to rapidly get up the hill. The Atlas Mechs would be slower than the Mongooses, meaning that they would be without support for a couple of minutes or even longer.

The pilot's voice came through Taylor's headset, since the Cerberus operatives were wearing the lightest armor possible to stay mobile, and they had made the decision to ditch energy shielding for this operation, "Two minutes to drop off. Get ready, it looks like they're waiting for us-"

The pilot never got to finish his sentence, as hidden AA guns emplaced on the mountain range suddenly opened fire. A design that wasn't seen yet, and was hidden in the databases for the AIs to miss, this AA gun was packing a bigger punch than every previous AA gun, since it was designed to take down energy shielding. The rounds smacked into the shuttles, bouncing off of energy shields, and the pilots, believing that they were capable of handling the fire, made the decision to keep going. These pilots may have saved the entire battle with this decision.

As the shuttles got closer, and the volume of fire picked up, it became obvious to the pilots that they wouldn't make it. But it was too late to back out now, and everybody on board the shuttles were willing to die for their mission. And so the shuttles continued, and as the shields fell, and the bullets started to pierce through the walls, the pilots changed the flight mode to autopilot when they got tore up. The troop compartments were the most armored part of the shuttles, ditching the age old concept of protecting the pilots more than the troops. With bullets pinging off of the armor around the troop compartment, and auto piloting on, the troops were safe. Until one of the gunners got lucky.

A burst of rounds managed to pierce through the cockpit, and hit the armor at such an angle that it was able to pass right through. The rounds struck the fuel compartment of the shuttle containing the Mongooses, causing an explosion, and causing the shuttle to smash into one of the shuttles with an Atlas Mech. Both shuttles slammed into the ground, and they both lit up in a spectacular explosion. Now with only three shuttles, the fire became more concentrated, and soon the results started showing.

The other shuttle with the Atlas Mech went down first, although the Atlas driver managed to get himself and his mech out on time. But a well-planned ambush was waiting for him down there, made up of three squads of Asari Commandos. And unfortunately for the mech, these were more skilled than ones fought against previously on other worlds. You want the best to protect your homeworld, after all. A well-placed rocket took out the Atlas, leaving Taylor and the rest of his men without support.

Knowing that they were screwed, Taylor stood up, and yelled, "Everybody out, out, out! Now! Go, go, go!"

All of the Cerberus operatives in the two shuttles followed his orders, and stood up, and began running towards the ramp of the shuttle, which was being opened after a quick command from Taylor. But the gunners were too fast for them, and before they could get out of the shuttles, the shuttles began spinning and going down. The kinetic force of the high speed descending and spinning caused the occupants to slam into the walls, ceiling, and floor, with a couple even falling out of the open ramp. And when the shuttle slammed into the ground, Taylor slammed hard into the ceiling, making everything go black.

* * *

When Taylor woke up, there were small fires in the compartment, and his men were lying everywhere. He made to stand up, but his legs were too weak, and a gunshot made him stay down. Taylor waited with held breath as he saw Asari Commandos and other defenders walking around the crash site, looking at the occupants of the other shuttle, and coldly executing those who were still alive. He stayed still, but a sign of movement made him turn his head. Marcus was trying to stand up, but wasn't having much luck.

Jacob whispered, "Marcus, stay down."

The former paratrooper followed his suggestion, staying down. Jacob's whisper had carried around the shuttle, and those who survived the crash and were awake stayed still as well. The former Recon Marine gripped his Nightwing X7 in his right hand, held in his favored grip to throw the knife at a moment's notice. His M9E was in his left, and was currently hidden by the body of one of his comrades. He couldn't afford to spook the Asaris before the operatives were ready. Another whisper had all of the conscious survivors grip pistols, or have a hand on an assault rifle. When the Asari were finished in the other shuttle, and they began to make their way to his shuttle, he tensed. As they looked through the dead bodies outside the shuttle, he found his target. When he felt the time was right, he threw the knife, hitting the Asari in the neck. As the Asari gripped at the knife, trying to pull it out, he put a round through her head, catching the other Asari's attention.

They trained their guns on the shuttle, only to find nothing. There was no sign of who pulled the trigger or who threw the knife. As they watched the shuttle, they didn't notice weapons being readied, or people picking targets. When they reached the decision to spray the shuttle, it was too late for them. As Taylor yelled and opened fire with his M9E, the rest of the Cerberus operatives did as well. The semi-automatic and automatic fire cut through the Asari ranks. But there were more outside.

An Asari with a M-920 Cain tried to get a shot off, but a burst from a Harrier cut her down. Not worrying about heavy weapons, the Cerberus operatives rushed out of the shuttle, knowing that if they stayed in, the ricochets from bullets would kill them. The Asari were shocked, as normal operating procedure would have you stay in the shuttle, but then again, to them, Humans were dumb. But as rounds ripped into them, and they didn't have a killbox anymore to wipe out the Humans, they had to admit that the tactic was smart. The Asari leader, before being killed by a plasma sword carried by a Sangheili known as Trevor by the Humans on the team, managed to call for reinforcements.

As fire came from the high ground, and shuttles and A-61 Mantis gunships showed up, Jacob knew it would be a waste of men to try and get to the Prothean beacon without support. So he ordered his men to take cover, and when he ordered, to retreat back down the hill. As he felt a round strike his armor, he began trying to get support.

"Command, this is Advanced Recon Team Leader Jacob Taylor. We're pinned, no support, and we can't get up to the Beacon. There's only twelve of us left. And they're closing in."

At Thessia's capital, which a hotel there had been turned into a highly defended command center, Colonel James Rhodes looked at the real time imagery from the hacked satellites that were up over Thessia. As he looked at Jacob's position, he saw just what was going on. When he switched to thermal to find hidden enemies to give what he was sending an accurate troop count, his jaw dropped, along with six other officers who happened to be looking. That many troops for a single Beacon? Or to wipe out the ART? Whatever it was, Rhodes knew he couldn't have the ADF accomplish their mission.

Rhodes looked at what units were available, and as his eyes found one unit, he smirked, then said, "Alright, Taylor. 5th Jump Platoon is on the way, along with Raptor Six-Two. ETA for Raptor is twenty mikes, Jump is twenty-five mikes."

As Taylor launched a Warp at a Commando that got too close for comfort, Taylor said, "Got it. But we may not last that long, Command."

"You will last that long, Taylor. That's an order, son."

"Got it sir. Taylor out."

As the com channel closed, Taylor fired a burst from a Harrier that he had picked up, before turning and calling for Mason Reed, their resident explosives expert and someone Taylor had been around the block with.

When Mason got to him, Taylor said, "Alright. This is what's going to happen. Reinforcements don't get here for twenty minutes, so we're going to hold out here for a while. When the drone gets over the area, you and the rest of the team are going to be falling back down the hill while I cover you. Now, when you get to that ledge right there, you're going to turn around and cover me. Alright?"

Mason looked at him, but knowing that Taylor wouldn't accept anything else, nodded, and said, "You'll be covered. But you'll have to move quick. These are biotics against, they're going to take advantage of you being by yourself. Just don't stop, okay?"

Taylor nodded, and Mason told the rest of the team. There were complaints, but everyone knew it was how it was going to be done. As the minutes passed, the ADF managed to get in close, but the ART was able to keep them from getting overwhelmed. It was at the nineteen minute mark that Raptor Six-Two made contact with Taylor.

"ART Three, this is Raptor Six-Two. We're over the combat area now. Mark your targets?"

Taylor nodded at Mason, causing him to yell to the team to get ready to fall back, before saying, "Marking a strobe now. Wait until we're clear, or we're going to be killed along with the ADF."

As he threw the strobe down, the UAV controller looked at two of his fellow operators, and said, "You two ready to rock?"

At their nods, the controller, Jeffrey Hawkins, said, "ART Three, I'm going to be dropping a UGV and a UCAD on your position, over. Then once you're clear, I'll be launching Phoenix missiles, danger close. You got that?"

"Yeah. Alright, we're starting to fall back now. Drop the drones."

As the controller hit a button on his control pad for the drone, a ramp lowered from within the UAV. Two drones, both of them ground vehicles, rolled off of the ramp, and into freefall. As they reached two thousand feet, parachutes exploded out of them, making them slow down enough to not get destroyed on impact. But as they fell, and the ART got to safety, it became obvious that it wouldn't be enough. The controller launched a missile, but he aimed it far enough away from Taylor for the ART commander to not get hit by shrapnel. As Taylor started to fall back under the cover fire of the rest of the ART, the ADF showed their desperation. Almost all of them broke out of cover, and charged. It was a turkey shoot, but there were too many, and a couple of them used their biotics to get to the running Taylor. One grabbed him by the back of the neck, and activated her omni-blade. She slammed it into the small of his back, and through his intestines and stomach. As she released him, Taylor pulled his pistol and put a round through her head. But the others were too close, and one stabbed her own omni-blade into his head. As the ART saw their commander die, they found the courage to charge. With yells, they exploded outwards, and charged the Asari positions, supported by the UAV.

When the UGV and the UCAD landed on the ground, the ART had already began their climb from the Asari positions to the top of the hill and the Prothean beacon. The ART didn't need the drones anymore, with pure rage and adrenaline keeping them going, but their support did help. By the time the 5th Jump Platoon arrived, it was to see a hill full of dead Asari and three ART members standing at a Prothean beacon. All but six survived the battle.

As the shuttles that had arrived for dust-off lifted off, Charlie Sheen, the squadron leader, said, "All heroes aboard. I repeat, twenty-one heroes aboard."

* * *

Rhodes stood in his makeshift command center, watching the updating map that showed the positions of his men. The assault had not gone exactly as planned, but Thessia was now in Cerberus, and Alliance, hands, thanks to reinforcements led by Fleetmaster Shara 'Thoramee and Captain Jordan Hussein. Sixteen Beacons had been captured intact, although twenty of them were detonated by the ADF. The team led by Franklin Moore to capture the governor of Thessia had been wiped out when a shuttle they had stolen on their exfil was blown up by a rocket. Over three hundred of his operatives were dead or wounded. Twenty of them were MIA, possibly captured by the ADF and taken off planet amidst the evacuation. The Resistance had suffered enormous casualties, trying to assist the assault. But frontal assaults didn't work well for them, although it got the job. Each surviving Resistance member would be awarded the Intelligence Star for actions above and beyond the call of duty. Taylor, Moore, and six others received the Intelligence Medal, the Cerberus, and Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian could receive.

As he continued looking at the map, Rhodes swore that he would take revenge on Osman for the needless deaths that she had caused. And in the corner of the room, a small rock flashed.

* * *

A.N.: So, here's the final part of Trojan Horse. Hopefully you guys enjoy it. And now for some good news, and some bad news. I'm officially engaged! But right now, I'm currently at a hospital, due to an injury I sustained. The doctors don't know when I can leave, because the wound's pretty serious. But don't worry, I can still write and type, although it hurts a bit to do so. Well, adios.

* * *

_"Tevos will kill you all! Your pitiful race is nothing to the might of Tevos! Nothing! You are only delaying the inevitable!"_


	27. Intelligence Gathering

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Intelligence Gathering

A.N.: I don't own anything. Well I own a copy of all three Mass Effect games and all of the DLCs, so does that give me ownership of Mass Effect? ONISAD is used with permission from original author.

* * *

_"Wow. Didn't expect that."_

_-Zaeed Massani_

* * *

Serin Osman picked up the secure TeleCom link, and asked, "Yes?"

A voice she identified as Gremlin said, "Massani's team got T'soni to talk. And I'm sure that you're going to love what they discovered."

"What'd they find out?"

"Indoctrination."

As Osman's eyes widened, everything about the war changed.

"Indoctrination?"

Gremlin, back at the hidden compound where the HVTs were interrogated, looked at a sobbing T'soni, who was being comforted by Benezia and Abigail, and said, "Yes. Tevos had T'soni indoctrinated. She had a Spectre, Tela Vasir, and six mercs capture her and take her to Virmire. T'soni was broken before her absence was noted, and she showed no signs of the Indoctrination."

"So Tevos has the Turian controlling the Reapers working for her?"

"Possible, but doubtful. I had Troll look up Tevos's file, including her travel logs, everything. She did a lot of stuff on Reaper ships after the war. As far as she could tell, it was about ten years after the war when her demeanor started to change. We all agree here that it's the Turian manipulating things. And it gets bigger."

Osman sighed, "Should I be worried?"

"It's scary to me, Director, so that should tell you how scary it is."

"What is it?"

Gremlin took a breath, then said, "In her position within Tevos's Inner Circle, T'soni got a report about fungal growth on Harbinger that led to her ordering a hit on the report's maker."

"Fungal growth? Why is it important?"

"The growth looked like stalks."

Osman sucked in a breath, and asked, "Are you absolutely certain the Flood is involved?"

Gremlin said, "Not until we get visual proof."

"You have a blank check."

* * *

The _Dark of the Moon_ was a Stealth Destroyer manned by Cerberus's own Prowler Corps. Its Captain, Maria Hill, was an experienced officer, having served in ONI's Prowler Corps before joining Cerberus. She was a cold bitch, having been Rear Admiral Bryant's protégé. Bryant was a cold bitch also, having been a participant in the Insurrection as a deep cover operative before being discovered, tortured, and almost killed by the URF before a S-III team rescued her.

The _Dark of the Moon_ was holding position in the Lasarn System, awaiting the arrival of the Third Reaper Fleet, led by the one known as Harbinger. Its mission was to tape Harbinger, for a reason that only the man standing next to her, Gremlin, knew.

Hill asked, "So what's this for?"

"Running down a lead. No one has seen the Reapers in ages, with the systems they patrol off limits. We want to know why."

The ship waited for ten hours before the Reapers exited the Relay, and what they saw was not pretty.

"My God."

Suddenly, the ship's AI, Hurricane, appeared, a female with high winds and debris blowing around her.

She said, "Captain, Gremlin. You might want to see what the scans picked up. I didn't notice this before because it appears as if the Flood has mutated enough to not be picked up by our sensors. But after cataloguing the Flood biomass on the Reapers, this popped up."

The AI brought up a picture of the asteroid known as Beyalt, then zoomed in until you could see the surface. What they saw wasn't good at all. Flood Stalks, Dens, and other forms completely covered the surface. As they stared at it, the picture shifted to each planet within the system. All of them were covered with Flood forms and biomass, with not a single survivor. Hill made her decision fairly quickly.

"Drop a NOVA, then have us get into Slipspace, and detonate it. Once we're clear, send a message to Osman. She needs to know."

"Yes, Captain."

Hurricane released the NOVA bomb, and then the Destroyer jumped into Slipspace, with the NOVA detonating before the Reapers could do anything. The Reapers and Flood biomass were decimated, with not a single piece of it surviving above ground. Some biomass survived the bombing underground, but when a follow-up fleet led by Hill came back, none of the biomass remained when they left.

* * *

When Osman got the reports and video of the incident, she immediately ordered a fleet led by Hill to return and finish off what was left, if there was any. Then she made a meeting with Gordon, Hood, Lasky, who had quickly became one of the ASC's top personnel, Goyle, Ojeda, Halsey, who had been exonerated under the leadership of Ojeda, Hwakas, John-117, Admiral John Grissom, Tartarus, Thel, and Rtas. It was by video conference since there was no time for everyone to meet up at a point, and with Hwakas and Lasky leading the fleet at Noveria, it would be stupid too. Hood was on Arcturus Station, Grissom was on Galaxy Station, Rtas and Thel were on Sanghelios, Goyle and Gordon were both on the Ark, Lasky on the _Infinity_, Hwakas on his ship, John with Task Force Spartan, Tartarus on Doisac, Halsey on Ivanoff Station, and Ojeda on Donovan Station, ONI's secret HQ named after Bill Donovan. Not even the people working on the Station knew where it was.

They had studied Gremlin's and Hill's reports, before Gordon said, "Hill made the right choice. The Reapers and Flood had wiped out everything within that system. How goes the efforts to clear the system?"

Osman said, "Hill reports that there's very little biomass remaining, most of it underground. We're putting boots on the ground, each of them highly trained special operators that ONISAD would want, to put MAVIS tactical nukes on the planets, thus exposing the biomass directly to the ships in orbit. It's more effective than firing through the surface, since we're not at the technological level to completely wipe them out without direct contact."

The others nodded in satisfaction, although Hood asked, "Are you willing to give us the tech needed to wipe out the Flood like you guys did?"

Hwakas remained silent as the others stared at him on their screen, waiting for an answer.

After sharing looks with Lasky and Halsey, he said, "Yes. But don't make the same mistakes we did. If there are innocents on the planets with Flood on them, please try to make an attempt to evacuate them. I've already seen multiple civilizations wiped out by the choice we made. I don't want to see it happen again."

The others nodded, except for Tartarus, but nobody expected him to be anything but bloodthirsty. Maccabeus was a much better tactician and diplomat than Tartarus, but nobody ever said that Jiralhanae were smart when it came to politics.

Hood said, "I want to create a hunter-killer fleet to hunt down the Flood using what T'soni gives us. We know the systems that are off-limits, and some of them are frighteningly close to Alliance space. If the Flood begin to expand, and Tevos most likely is remaining in the dark about such expansion, it's a couple of easy steps to get to our planets. We need to hit them hard and fast before they can strike at us."

Gordon said, "Do it, Admiral. Now, Halsey. You've been quiet. Do you have anything to say?"

Halsey had been formulating ideas with her AI, Avalanche, along with Cortana, one of the AI's tasked with working alongside Task Force Spartan to assist in their missions. Cortana usually partnered up with John, although sometimes she did work with Noble Six.

Halsey said, "So, from what I understand, is that Hwakas and the last Prehistorics cleared out the Magellanic Clouds, right?"

Hwakas nodded his head, and said, "That is correct. After what we did, there's no chance of life even being formed within the Clouds, without the heavy use of terraforming. Even the Precursors would've had difficulty, and they're a Tier Zero, according to the Forerunners."

Hood, remembering a battle early during his career along with monumental moments of history in the armed forces, said, "Anything's possible if you have the motivation."

Halsey ignored the comment, and said, "So if they're not in the Magellanic Clouds, then where did they come from? They could've come off of hidden Forerunner or Prehistoric installations that we don't know exist. Or they could've come from somewhere else. What little Precursor records we could find show that something drove them from the Andromeda Galaxy. But they don't show what it could've been. What if it was the Flood?"

There was a silence, before Tartarus broke it with a boom, "That's impossible. They must have found a place to hide from the Halo Array."

"That is certainly possible Tartarus, as evidenced by some Forerunner Shield Worlds and Installations being overrun with Flood. There could be something we missed. But I think it would be worth the time to check the Andromeda, just to make sure."

Hood was the one who poked a hole in her idea, saying, "Do you know how long it would take to search the entire galaxy, Halsey? We haven't finished exploring our own!"  
Hwakas said, "No, she's right. When we went into the Clouds, the Flood were all concentrated at the edge, allowing them the fastest travel time to the Milky Way. It wasn't until we started fighting them that they tried to expand into the rest of the Clouds. And since there were no surviving ones from the Clouds, then it's unlikely that they will be spread out in the Andromeda. It will take only six weeks to search the systems closest to the Milky Way, and about six months total to search the entire Andromeda. Unless if you wish to colonize the Andromeda while you're at it. If you want to go through with searching the Andromeda, I can provide you the specs of my slipspace drive. It's capable of making the journey."

Hood was silent, then Gordon said, "Alright. Hood, make two fleets. One to search the systems that are off-limits, the other to search the Andromeda. Choose who you want to lead them. Osman, Ojeda, I want a search of the Red Zones and Yellow Zones to start. The intel reports I've gotten show that Tevos has someone leading some of the Red Zone groups. Time to take them down."

Hood, Osman, and Ojeda all said, "Yes, sir."

Gordon said, "That concludes this meeting for now. Tartarus, Thel, Goyle, you can leave now. The rest of you, remain on this channel, so I can reach you when I'm back. Let's get this rolling people."

* * *

A.N.: So, any of you guys who played Modern Warfare 2 get shivers when Osman said, "You have a blank check?" I did, and I'm the one who's writing it. Anyway, so I'm posting this along with another chapter, hopefully, today, in celebration of me getting out of the hospital. Even though I have to see a psychiatrist three times a week. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. And what do you guys think of me doing a fic about the upcoming movie, the Purge?

* * *

_"The Hipster. Go ahead, laugh it up. Let's see how funny you think it is when you collapse in the street, due to a cardiac arrest. The idea was originally made in the 21st Century, by a weapons designer for the CIA while high on cocaine. Unfortunately, the designer died due to an overdose, and so nobody ever saw the design, until two years ago when an ONI agent who happened to live on the designer's property dug through his basement, and happened to find it. Ironic, right?_

_Well the Hipster is a pen that is laced with a poison on the outside. All it takes is the time needed to sign a signature, and the poison is soaked into the target's hand, immediately getting into the bloodstream. It takes an hour for the target to die, and the best thing? There's no evidence on the pen, so you can leave it where the signing took place, so the agent is cleared of the crime. Of course the Hipster wasn't designed with this particular poison, and normally it wouldn't be useful in this day and world. But ONI had PAG do something to make handwriting on important documents common place, after stealing fifty billion credits from various sources and putting it in ONI Black Funds. Of course, Parangosky would say that it was to make the Hipster useful, but the fifty billion credits able to be used for Black Operations isn't something to sneeze at either. Anyway, go ahead and test it out if you want."_

_-Amber Kengolvski, ONI R&D, Assassinations Department_


	28. Pre-Market Garden

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Pre-Market Garden

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"Project Lazarus had the goal of finding out if it was possible to bring back someone from the dead, even if their injuries were extensive. And it was a success. We discovered that as long as the brain and cerebral cortex are functional, it is possible to bring someone back from the dead. The first person to be used in Project Lazarus is an unsung hero."_

_-Miranda Lawson, Director of Project Lazarus_

* * *

Named after the famed World War Two Airborne operation, Market Garden was a daring attack on Illium, the financial capital of Tevos's empire. Led by Rear Admiral David Andersen, Market Garden's goal was to take out some of the finances sustaining Tevos's empire, putting a dent in some of her research, manufacturing, and operations. The plan, already daring, was even more so after the Alliance learned about the Flood. Half of the original fleet was taken from the operation to form to the two fleets hunting down the Flood. But everybody was confident that the Alliance would emerge victorious. The operation would start in three days.

* * *

Andersen had decided to spend the time before Market Garden began by making sure that every last detail was covered, including the potential presence of Flood that the Watchtower-S had discovered. The Flood had to know they were discovered, and he was afraid that the gloves would come off. Each ship was packing two hangars worth of NEON nukes, along with a NOVA apiece. No resource would be denied when it came to the ground forces if the Flood was present. Boomerangs, Claws, and Screechers would be ready if a Flood presence was on the ground, along with any type of support imaginable, from air support to Portals.

Boomerangs were ground vehicles originally made for conventional fighting, but some clever engineers and officers decided to make it more effective against the Flood. Originally M325 Heavy Recovery Vehicles, or "Elephants", the Boomerangs had the standard M172 LAAGs and MK32 automatic grenade launchers, but they were also outfitted with a 30 foot-long piece of stainless steel, that had been specially treated to make it somewhat bendable. The engineers had made it shaped like a boomerang, and when the driver or passenger hit a button inside of the cab, the steel would be flung forward, hitting anything in its path, then resume its place on the armored vehicle, like a Boomerang. This weapon was very effective against Tank Forms, Stalks, Dens, and any slow moving or stationary Flood forms.

Claws were bulldozers modified to be combat capable. They received a cm of Titanium-A, a remotely controlled M172 LAAG, and two seats on each side, which were unprotected, but the Claws were capable of going up to forty miles per hour, thanks to their upgrades, and some Special Operations teams decided to use them. The Claws were most effective against the Infection Forms, who were small enough to be picked up by the bulldozer's claw, which was heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to cause the popcorn-like bastards to pop. Literally. The videos are fucking creepy.

Screechers were a very different idea, capable of being used on anything. Spacecraft, aircraft, ground vehicles, stationary objects, anything. They were outfitted with microwave transmitters, and speakers that play at high-pitched frequencies, enough so Humans don't hear them, but the Flood do. Despite being made mostly of water, causing the Infection and Pure Forms to be unaffected by the sounds, the Combat Forms couldn't stand them, opening them up for extermination by the microwaves or ground forces. Years of fighting the Flood had developed some interesting, and ugly, ways of fighting them.

Portals were a brand new vehicle, something that hadn't been tested in combat. They were APC-variant Warthogs outfitted with the Forerunner teleportation technology. However, they were only capable of one jump before they were just regular vehicles. They would be used to make fighting a way through defenses obsolete. Once they were perfected, warfare as they knew it would be changed.

Andersen switched his thoughts from vehicles to the actual battle plan. ODSTs would go in and secure LZs for the Airborne and Marines, while Rangers would be inserted by HALO. Unlike normal operation doctrine, the capital of Illium would be focused on last, setting it up for the attacking forces to have every support available for when they attacked the city.

Once the attack on the city began, Rangers, SEALS, S-IVs, Airborne, ODSTs, ARTs, AFO, and ONISAD would take over the urban fighting, with armor supporting them full-time, and Marines wherever they were needed. With all escapes blocked by forces outside the city, Tevos's forces would be trapped inside the city, easy pickings for the SOF teams.

* * *

Commander Jane Shepard, commander of all S-IVs on the _Ultimacy_, Andersen's flaghsip, spent the three days briefing the Fireteams and watching War Games to determine what teams would handle what type of missions. By the end of the first day, she had already figured out who would be doing what missions. Olympia, Dugout, and Royalty would be her go-to teams in the urban fighting that would take places in Nos Astra, taking the high-risk missions. The other teams would be taking the lower risk missions, since their specialty wasn't urban fighting, and they would be out of place in the city. She would be on the ground with Hydro, trying to capture an office building where one of Tevos's major financiers were at. It was the next day when a wrench was thrown in her plans.

HIGHCOM had decided to send a Cerberus agent to help with the invasion, who would go in ahead of the invasion force and act as a Liaison between the Resistance and Andersen. But Andersen, who didn't trust the Resistance fully with the safety of Alliance personnel, even Cerberus, decided to provide the agent with a S-IV security team. And he wanted Shepard to go in as well to get a feel of the land before combat operations started.

She was waiting for him when the Osprey ferrying him between the _Ultimacy_ and the Prowler that brought him to Andersen's staging area. When the Cerberus agent stepped out of the dropship, she was surprised to see him wearing the Urban Combat Uniform used by special operators. He was wearing a balaclava over his face, but she could tell he was male by the way he carried himself. A MK22 EBR was attached to a rung on his Misriah Armories TacVest by a piece of paracord, negating the need for a sling. Two M9Es were holstered, and a plasma sword along with multiple knives were in holders. She could only guess what was in the bag he was carrying.

She walked over, her GEN4 armor announcing her presence to the agent.

He turned, and nodded at her, asking, "I'm assuming you're Shepard?"

She realized that he wasn't wearing a HUD, and said, "Yes, I am. Andersen said you're staying at S-Deck with us?"

The Cerberus agent nodded, and said, "Lead the way, Commander."

As they walked, Shepard said, "I like to know who I'm working with. What's your name, or the one that you can tell us?"

"Flame."

She raised an eyebrow at that, a thought forming in her head, but said, "Before we get to S-Deck, I have to ask. Do you have augmentations?"

Flame nodded, and on the elevator, Shepard turned to him, and said, "Look, I like to know who I'm working with. Flame's just not going to cut it."

Even with the balaclava covering his face, Shepard could tell that the Cerberus agent was mulling it over. As his hand reached up and began pulling off the mask, Shepard found herself excited to see who he was. When the mask was off, all she felt was surprise and shock.

"Austin?"

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, but a couple chapters back, I got a review asking for drama. Don't know if this is what he was talking about, but here's some drama, maybe. I may spend some time showing Austin-Shepard interaction, but probably not. Anyway, next chapter is Battle of Illium.

* * *

_"Everybody thinks that Cerberus are the unsung heroes of the war. But having been a member of Cerberus myself, I know the truth. Only the original members are professionals, the ones who absolutely hate to kill noncombatants and friendly forces to maintain their cover as a terrorist network before the true image of Cerberus came out. Every member after the formation of Cerberus who was recruited are nothing more than racists, criminals, or someone with ideals who has no clue what they're getting into. The ones with ideals are the ones who die first. Honestly, Cerberus's majority are nothing more than terrorist. It's the minority of Cerberus that are the scary monsters in the closet and under the bed."_

_-Flame_


	29. Market Garden Part One

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Market Garden Part One

**READ PREVIOUS CHAPTER FIRST. FOR WHATEVER REASON, FANFICTION DIDN'T SEND AN EMAIL SAYING IT UPDATED. MY APOLOGIES.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"Market Garden was a disastrous operation for our predecessors. Well today, we're going to redeem it."_

_-Major Alicia Warren, CO of 1st Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles"_

* * *

Market Garden started off when the _Ultimacy_ and the rest of the fleet exited slipspace and engaged Illium's defense fleet. The Fiji-class Battlecruiser and Titan-class Carrier stayed at range, the Battlecruiser sniping the enemy ships while the Carrier deployed two Frigates that would be its escorts and scores of fighters, interceptors, and bombers. Frigates and Destroyers closed in, while the Cruisers and the _Ultimacy_ stayed at the middle. Under the massive assault, a corridor to Illium was opened for deployments. The _Ultimacy_, Frigates, and a Terra-class Colony Ship, modified for combat operations, began to deploy troops groundside.

* * *

Major Alicia Warren, callsign 'Griffin', dismounted from the Boomerang, and stood atop the hill overlooking Nos Astra, the capital city of Illium. Within three hours, the defenders of the planet had been rousted from their positions, and now the only defenses left to conquer were the ones of Nos Astra. Artillery from the HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) positioned outside the city on the high ground were raining on the defenses that could be seen by observers and had been discovered by intel. There were minute breaks between each salvo, enough time for gunships and aircraft to do their runs on enemy troops out in the open. Tevos's forces had been caught with their pants down, and now the last of their forces caught out in the open had were moving inside. Warren listened to her men's conversations, before she hushed them when her radio beeped, signalling that Colonel Trotsky, head of the 506th, was about to say something.

It was a minute before Trotsky said, "Listen up, people. Andersen's sent the word. We're moving out in ten mikes. RCT Deviant's leading the way in, with us following in behind them. Once we're in the city, we're going to be dividing up in our respective battalions, provide support for the S-IVs. Seahawk, you're going to be moving down Route Charlie, supporting the S-IV teams striking up that road. Griffin, you got Route X-ray, supporting the teams up there. And Eagle, you're going to be sticking with the main column, getting off whenever they need you. Channels are One One Three Zulu, One One Nine Lima, and Three Six One Delta, respectively. Switch to those once you're moving. Good luck, Eagles."

It was a tense ten minutes, with each paratrooper doing their own thing. Jenkins, Griffin's driver, was whispering a prayer, while Smith wrote a quick email to his wife back on Mars. Griffin merely prepared to change the radio channel to talk to the S-IVs, and then sent a quick message to her family. Her brothers, Steven and Adam, were both S-IVs on the _Infinity_, and had partaken in the fighting for Noveria. Once she finished her messages, she got back in the Boomerang with the rest of the squad, and waited for the column to get moving. At the ten minute mark, and a codeword from Andersen, the vehicles started moving, with Deviant leading the way.

As the first vehicle, an Ares, entered the city, gunfire lit up across its armor and energy shielding. The tank commander, manning the M172 LAAG, began to fire back at the targets out in the open, while the Ares's main gun started pounding buildings into submission. By the time the Boomerang with Griffin in it entered the city, there was debris everywhere as a result from the quick fight. Ospreys and Hornets flew overhead to cover the column, with some peeling off to let off troops at targets. Vehicles were parked on the side of the streets, with their occupants beginning to search through the streets for any of Tevos's forces that were missed. One thing that nobody missed was the fact that everybody was gas masks and HAZMAT suits under their armor in case of a chemical attack. As the column moved through the main road of the city, with the Ares, built to withstand IEDs and mines, clearing explosions. When Griffin's Boomerang reached the beginning of Route Charlie, it pulled off of the main column and went down the road, with the rest of Griffin's battalion following her.

It was two minutes later when a call came in from a S-IV team, "Griffin, this is Fireteam Hunter, over. We need support, ASAP."

Her HUD lit up with S-IV team's location, which was at a bank.

She said, "Got it, Hunter. Griffin inbound. ETA three mikes."

The Airborne battalion sped up, and they made it to the bank in three minutes. Surprisingly, there were no ambushes at all like they would've believed. It was only when they hit the bank that they made contact. Tevos's forces had been crossing the street to get into the bank when Griffin's column had pulled up, and the vehicle gunners took full advantage of it. They fell, trying to find some cover on the street. But there were none, and they found themselves at a distinct tactical disadvantage. Griffin and the other paras dismounted, their weapons finding targets and giving them deadly gifts. When the last hostile fell, a Batarian, Griffin led the way into the bank.

Two Turians had been watching the front door, but Griffin drilled both of them right between the eyes before they could react. The gunfire attracted the attention of everyone else on the floor, and as she slid behind a pillar, gunfire lit the paras up. Three of them fell while the rest found cover and returned fire, slowly moving forward and trapping them up against a wall. Two gunners found good firing positions and lit the enemy up, dropping Asari, Batarians, Salarians, and Turians alike, their kinetic barriers failing.

Griffin said, "Hunter, this is Griffin. We've got the first floor secured. Where the hell are you?"

There was a burst of gunfire upstairs that corresponded with Hunter saying, "We see you outside. We're up on the third floor, over by the fire escape. They got us surrounded. There's a sniper watching the fire escape so we can't go out that way."

Griffin nodded, she had seen the fire escape on the way in, along with the glint of a sniper scope a distance away. As she ran up the stairs, she set a waypoint on the general area of where the sniper was.

She said, "All Elements, this is Griffin. Sniper in the general area of the waypoint. Take it out."

As she took cover behind a wall to keep out of the way of gunfire, she heard, "Sniper Team Two. We got eyes on the sniper. He's down. Fire escape's clear."

Griffin threw a grenade further down the floor, and as the explosion went off, followed by a couple of screams, she said, "Hunter, fire escape's clear. We're almost done with the second floor."

As she ran forward from cover to finish off the three remaining Asari, all of them wounded, Hunter said, "Got it, Griffin. We're leaving now. Thanks for the assist."

With the S-IV team out of the building, and her objective complete, Griffin could have left the building for the next unit to pass by it. But that wasn't the way she rolled, and so the Major decided to clear the rest of the building. She led the way up the stairs, chucking a frag to clear any hostiles on the landing. Two bodies were flung over the railing by the explosive force of the frag, and as she reached the door, she activated her VISR, allowing her to see everything in the room. Even the two snipers undoubtedly using Cloak. As she switched her MK22 from semi-automatic fire to automatic, she also checked the life signals from her paratroopers' armor. Only two Paras had died in the fighting, but ten of them were wounded, with three of them looking like they would die. There were some wounds that even Alliance medical technology couldn't help.

She threw a flashbang into the room outside of the stairwell, stunning its occupants. Griffin ran in, immediately dropping a Turian who was standing far enough back for only his senses to be dulled by the 9-bang. The rest of the Element that had gone in with her cleared the floor in less than thirty seconds, their VISR's assisting in finding hidden enemies. With the building cleared, they took the fire escape down just to be safe, since they wouldn't put it past the aliens to put a dead man's switch motion triggered explosive on the front door, a favored tactic used by the Insurrectionists. When they got in their vehicles, the column carried on its merry way.

They finally ran into an ambush, but all it did was make a scorch mark on her Boomerang due to a poor shot with a RPG. With their position compromised, and the heavy guns of the Airborne slamming into them, the ambushers couldn't do anything. It was about a quarter of the way down the route, when another S-IV team contacted her.

"Griffin, this is Commander Jane Shepard. We need assistance. Sending you the location now."  
Griffin's HUD had a green waypoint over the S-IV's location, about two klicks away from their current position.

She said, "Griffin inbound. ETA four mikes."

As the paras headed towards the high-rise building where the S-IV team was at, she decided to pull up imagery of the area. What she saw made her wonder what was so important there.

* * *

Commander Jane Shepard shifted her position as gunfire bounced off her shields from outside the building, and turned her attention to the gunmen in the building across the street. Her HUD pointed out targets for her, and she began to open fire, the accurate fire dropping a couple of them until the others realized that they would be killed if they stayed where they were. What happened next was a running gunfight, with her making sure that they didn't get to the high ground while they tried to run from cover to cover without being drilled. It was as gunfire from inside her building hit her shields that she was forced to turn her attention back to the forces trying to overrun her and her team.

They had decided to hold out on the top floor, protecting them from gunships since Austin, who turned out to be alive instead of dead, had set up a mini-SAM to keep them off. But the volume of enemies were so much that the S-IVs and Cerberus operative were having difficulty holding them back. As she lined up a Turian in the sights of her EBR, she could see Austin charging into the mass of enemies with his plasma sword and M9E. The funny part was that he was actually doing damage, running the sword through his enemies, and putting single shots into domes. What was scary was the laughter she heard as he did it. As she shifted targets to an Asari as the Turian fell, her eyes passed over Fireteam Hydro.

Hydro had taken up a position that wasn't far back from the action, but wasn't up close and personal like Austin. Their accurate fire from the M4A9s and EBRs they were carrying were doing damage, but it seemed that the horde of hostiles just kept going. And the mission had supposed to been fast and easy, with their package being picked up by an Osprey. But Intel had missed some mobile AAs, and they had all been positioned around the building. They had let them insert, but when they secured the package and the Osprey came in for pick-up, the seven guns nailed it. The smoke from the crash was still rising into the air, and the COMs had gone silent. But the enemy commander wasn't smart, and didn't move the AAs. Two strikes from Katana bombers ended up taking out all of the AAs, and clearing the way for Ospreys. Unfortunately, RPGs were keeping the dropships back, and so to get out, the S-IVs needed to fight their way through the enemy. But with so many, Shepard decided to call in Airborne for assistance.

It was about a minute after she called for help when the Council forces brought tanks into play. Shepard guessed that it was for perimeter security, since their guns didn't have a chance to shoot at the top floor with their main guns. With no heavy weapons, the S-IVs were unable to take out the tanks, and she was forced to leave it to Griffin and her people. But not without a warning.

She called, "Griffin, this is Shepard, over."

"Go ahead, Commander."

As she fired a burst to drop a Turian trying to sneak up on Austin, who was still in the middle of the fight, she said, "They have tanks outside. We can't take them out."

In her Boomerang, Griffin said, "Got it, Commander. We'll take them out."

With that the conversation ended as Shepard tried to keep Austin and Fireteam Hydro from getting forced back. It was when she heard the explosions that marked Griffin's arrival when Austin was forced to take cover, next to her. Somehow his energy shielding had taken most of the hits, but his unprotected arms and legs had taken some hits that armor couldn't deflect. He was breathing heavily, and as he withdrew a can of biofoam and applied it to a hole in his leg, she knew he was in pain.

Shepard said, "Austin, stay here. I don't want to see you die again."

The Cerberus operative and former S-IV looked at her, before nodding. He scooted over to the window and looked down at the source of the explosions, and as he saw the vehicles carrying Griffin and her paras, he smiled, before bullets suddenly came at them from the building across the way. Austin scooted back from the gunfire, and as he switched his EBR to semi, he got up on a knee and shot back. The accurate fire took out a couple of the gunmen, while forcing the others to lower their heads. Shepard joined in on the fire, smirking in satisfaction as rounds hit their targets.

She heard Griffin say, "Griffin moving in. I've got a platoon going to take out the gunmen across the street to give you some relief."

"Got it, Griffin. Thank you."

The building was twelve stories tall, and Shepard knew it would be a while before Griffin got up top, so she said, "Reinforcements are here. But it's going to be a while, so don't get cocky Spartans. That means you too, Austin."

The Cerberus agent nodded as he kept firing at the gunmen across the way, providing the Airborne platoon moving towards the top of the building with a distraction to keep their advance quiet. When the Airborne platoon struck the snipers, it was a complete surprise. The paras moved right through them, throwing grenades and putting rounds into them point-blank. When the fight was all done and over, the paras had the building secured with only one walking wounded.

Griffin, on the third story of the building, said, "Commander, it's Griffin. We're up on the third story, and we hit heavy resistance. I don't know how long it'll take to get up there. But the snipers across from you are down."

"Got it, Major. And thank you, again."

As the paras slowly pushed forward, they had the effect of making the hostiles more intent on wiping the S-IVs and Cerberus agent out. It was intense fighting, with some gunmen making it within five feet of Austin and Shepard before getting gunned down. The paras across the street were helping with their sniper and heavy weapons fire, but the horde just seemed endless. It was when Fireteam Hydro fell back to Shepard and Austin's position when the situation truly got desperate. They were running low on ammo, and Hydro One and Hydro Three were both down to a mag on their M9Es.

Shepard yelled, "Where the hell are you, Griffin?"

Griffin was still two stories down, the resistance had crumbled when the enemy commander had decided that killing those on the top floor was a priority, and all soldiers had charged. They were moving fast, but it would still be two minutes or so since they were being cautious.

"Two stories down, we're moving fast. Two minutes!"

As her shields started to flicker from the heavy fire that had finally began to pepper through her cover, Shepard checked her ammo situation. She had two mags left for the M9E, and was down to fifteen rounds on her MK22. As she exhausted what was left of the clip, and switched to her pistol, she made her decision.

"Hydro, Austin! Swords, engage!"

Fireteam Hydro and Austin withdrew their energy swords, with Austin holding his M9E in the other, and ran into the fray. The sudden charge had surprised the hostiles, but as some of their number fell from the fast-moving augmented humans, they adjusted. Omni-blades flared to life, knives were pulled, and grips shifted as they prepared for the hand-to-hand combat. Plasma hit hardlight, the two blades even, but the augmentations the Humans had allowed them to win fights as they moved too fast to be effectively blocked or attacked. Shepard put rounds into the horde, keeping some of the aliens off of her team until she ran out of ammo. As she pulled out her own sword, she ran into the fray.

She dodged a swipe from a omni-blade and punched the Turian in the throat, crushing his windpipe before she barely managed to dodge a biotic attack from an Asari, who then used her biotics to help in her fighting. Unfortunately for the misguided Asari, Shepard had dealt with fellow augmented humans and biotically-helped aliens alike, so as the hardlight blade hit plasma, the Asari received a punch to the face followed by a knee to the stomach. Shepard then implanted her plasma sword through the Asari's chest and out her back, severing her spinal column. As the Asari dropped, Shepard was forced to deflect a blow from an omni-blade sent at her by a Salarian.

It was too this scene when Griffin arrived, with the augmented Humans engaging in close quarters battle. The paras took out those not being engaged by Shepard's team, and watched, slightly awed, as they finished off the rest. Right before the explosives planted in the building went off.

* * *

A.N.: So, how'd you like the ending? By the way, have you guys ever updated a chapter and Fanfiction not send out an email saying so? I've had that happen a couple of times, including the chapter before this. Anyway, the conclusion to Market Garden will be coming up soon. Hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"Three-Alpha inbound."_

_-Lieutenant Jeff Hopkins, Third Armored Platoon, 55th Armored Company, 1st Armored Division_


	30. Market Garden Part Two

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Market Garden Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

Book of the Week: Threat Vector by Tom Clancy (may make a story out of it).

* * *

_"Jimmy, Mother. Bag and Drag is successful. We're on the way back to FOB Kentucky. I hope you're happy."_

_-Mother to Jimmy, operation controller for AFO on [Redacted]_

* * *

Austin Hunt, or Flame as he was known to almost everybody, woke from his state of unconsciousness caused by the explosion and him wearing Urban Light Assault Armor (ULAA) groggily. The Cerberus operative looked around, trying to remember what happened. As his memories of barely more than three minutes ago, thanks to his augmentations he wasn't unconscious for long, returned, he felt an armored hand grab hold of his chin and lift his head up to look at the smiling face of Commander Jane Shepard, who looked relieved.

Jane said, "Thank God, you're alright. I couldn't bear to lose you again."

Austin smiled at his childhood friend, and said, "It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me."

She helped him stand, and although he was a little wobbly, he was good to go. He grabbed his M9E, and checked the ammo left in it, one shredder round. Austin took out the mag, keeping the shredder round chambered, and put in another clip. As he looked around, he could see the unconscious forms of the paratroopers who had come to rescue them.

Shepard said, "There was a dead man's switch, except that the explosives were on the package. What a fucking waste."

Austin couldn't agree more.

One by one the paras woke, although a few of them were in comas. It was when they were putting the wounded, dead, and comatose in the vehicles when something went down.

"Commander Shepard, Griffin, this is Watchtower. You've got some aircraft coming towards you. There's no assets in the area for another thirty mikes. You're going to have to handle it on your own for a while. I'm marking a position for you. It's got three Crosby MAAVs with guns pointed up."

Griffin opened the door to her Boomerang, and saw the screen inside, to make it easier for navigation while in areas that require up to date directions and allowing eyes to not miss things by looking at HUDs, show the directions to the MAAVs. It would be a thirty minute drive alone, but luckily most of it would be in tight streets, although she feared for an ambush. The most dangerous part of the route would be a minute-long drive along an interstate-like road, which would open them up for accurate air attack.

Shepard, who saw the directions on her own HUD, said, "Much obliged for the warning, Watchtower."

"No thanks necessary, Commander. Watchtower out."

Griffin and Shepard immediately showed why they were high ranks.

The para said, "I want missiles up on the roof of the vehicles. Mac, Holt, I want you two up on the roof over there, Take out what you can on their way in. Guns pointed up, and I want ramps and doors opened, no matter how tight the street is. Only if there's an ambush are the doors and ramps to close. All shields up, be ready to bail at a moment's notice. You good, Commander?"

Shepard had Hydro and Austin each get on a vehicle, and Austin had firmly implanted his mobile SAM on top of his LAV.

As she hopped on a Boomerang, Shepard said, "I'm good."

"All right. All units, let's get the hell out of here."

With the S-IVs, twenty paras, and Austin on their roofs, and over two hundred paras inside the vehicles, the convoy set off, sticking to the small streets that had been seen as the safest route to keep them from getting hit by the fighter-bombers that had somehow managed to evade the air cover. It was about three minutes into the drive when the hostile aircraft flew over the area. Their first pass didn't see anything, but the second pass did reveal something. As two smoke trails flew up from a roof and slammed into the fuselage of two separate aircraft, the pilots were taken aback, believing all of the paras had gotten on the cover. By the time another pass came, this time with bullets slamming into the rooftop to try and kill the SAM gunners, they were already off of the roof, and running up the stairs in the building next to them.

"Griffin, Holt here. Two splashes. We had to re-position."

In her Boomerang, looking out of the windshield straight up to where she could see a fighter-bomber fly overhead, she said, "Good job, Holt. Keep up the work. Looks like they spotted us. Try to hit what you can."

"Got it, Major."

As the convoy turned on right onto another street, Griffin could hear the whine of the fighter-bomber coming in for a gun run. Unfortunately for the pilot, he had chosen to go straight up the street, and two of the SAM gunners were quick enough to lock on and fire a rocket off, along with Austin's mobile SAM. The pilot didn't have a chance to go against all three rockets, he barely had a chance against one. All three rockets slammed into their target, completely obliterating the hostile jet. After that, the fighter-bombers were forced to cut across the convoy instead of going straight down, and missed most of the time. Holt and Mac were doing damage with their own SAMs, although they had to keep switching positions after every shot due to the pilots coming to take them out. And unfortunately for them, the pilots weren't that dumb. One bomber stayed back while the others came in for a run, and when the two smoke trails had come from the top of the building, he swooped in and dropped his payload.

The last thing that Mac did was shove Holt into a stairwell, protecting him from the explosion. Since the pilot thought both of his targets were dead, he wasn't expecting the rocket to slam into him from behind, although another jet saw the trail and dropped a bomb on Holt, finally killing the para. When their biofeeds cut out, Griffin cursed, but she was soon distracted as the convoy came up to the interstate-like road. The convoy paused, with guns and rockets each pointing in different directions, ready for an attack from any angle. When they pulled out, the running battle descended into chaos.

Jets came from every which way, firing machine guns, rockets, and dropping bombs, while rockets and energy rounds from the vehicles flew up at the jets. One gunner on a LAV got lucky when he fired his heavy weapon at an angle, and a bomber flew right into it. As bombs and rockets rained around them, the convoy kept going, knowing that they would take more casualties if they tried to save the wounded, and in this matter, some necessary evil choices would have to be made. It was when Griffin's vehicle got off the interstate and Shepard's vehicle was about halfway there, that a bomb had Shepard's name on it.

She saw the bomb as if in slow-motion, and as time sped back up, she yelled, "Everybody out!"

The doors and ramp were open, and so the paras got out while Shepard hopped off. They all ran away from the LAV, and when the bomb hit, the heat wave passed over them. Shepard saw two paras drop and not get back up, and when she went to check on them, they were roasted from the flames that had exploded out from the LAV. Another LAV stopped for pick-up, and Shepard and the eight remaining paras from the original LAV hopped on, each of them fitting comfortably on the roof since there were no SAM gunners. Once everyone was off, only three-fourths of the original convoy remained. Luckily they were back in the small streets surrounded by high-rise buildings, and so the air attacks lessened, although the paras and Austin had to worry about shrapnel falling down on them from where bombs struck buildings instead of vehicles.

The sound of two M192 HAAGs (Heavy Anti-Air Guns) firing 3,000 RPM announced that they had arrived in the area of the Crosby MAAVs,. This was seconded by the launching of Wolcroft SAMs firing, followed by explosions as they hit their targets. Seeing that the convoy had reached a protected area, the fighter-bombers pulled off, unknowingly right into the Cutlass fighters that had arrived. Black Mamba and Python missiles flew off the rails as the Fox-Fours slammed into the aircraft, destroying what remained of the fighter-bombers. The Cutlass fighters and Crosby MAAVs covered Griffin's convoy the rest of the way to Firebase Contour, which was the operating base that the attack into Nos Astra had been carried out from. As the convoy went though the northern gates of Contour, a kinetic missile strike was launched from a satellite deployed by Watchtower, destroying a hidden airbase that had been missed in the initial attack. Seven more hidden bases were destroyed by the kinetic missile battery before a satellite operated by a VI took it out with a GUARDIAN. That satellite didn't remain intact for much longer. And with those moves, the Alliance had complete air superiority, and control.

* * *

"Three-Alpha inbound."

Those were the three words that had led to the situation that the Third Armored Platoon, 55th Armored Company, 1st Armored Division found itself in. Lieutenant Hopkins had responded to a request for help from a beleaguered engineer platoon that had been caught in an ambush. By the time the sixteen-LAV strong platoon had pulled the platoon out, the engineers were only at thirty percent effectiveness. Unfortunately for the Army-Marine column, no one had expected a building to be dropped on the road behind them, cutting off their escape route and forcing them to go forward. The LAV-62s had taken the ambushes like pros though, going at thirty MPH, since speed was the key to getting through the ambushes. As Hopkins's LAV drove through another ambush and an IED went off beside him, a lightbulb metaphorically went off in his head.

Hopkins was an experienced officer when it came to ambushes, IEDs, and city fighting, experience gathered due to ambushes from Insurrectionist ambushes or combat against other unsavory people. And so he knew what he was talking about when it came to IEDs. Instead of the IEDs being triggered by a certain amount of pressure, like normal IEDs designed to stop vehicles, these IEDs were remotely detonated, like they were designed to take out people on foot instead of vehicles. Since he was going through ambushes at two a minute, the Lieutenant didn't have time to think on it. But when he told MILINT Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sullivan, other people would have time to think on it.

* * *

A.N.: So I promised that I would finish up Market Garden this chapter, and I did. But an idea came to me, and so I'm making another part to Market Garden. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't stop nagging me and I think it's a good idea also. Anyway, I decided on doing a Book of the Week, where I just promote a book. I love reading, and there aren't really a lot of books out there that fit my taste (i.e. war/spy thrillers). So send me a suggestion, I'll read it, and then if I like it, I may put it up on Book of the Week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Can't forget that.

* * *

_"Ever since we first discovered the Flood, subtle changes have been made to military and police training. Focus has been made on single-shots, designed to hit the head. Stay mobile, don't get surrounded. Always have at least one pistol on you in addition to your rifle in case you run out of ammo. Head shots has been focused on as well. If you can hit the head of a running target, then you can definitely hit the Infection Form on a Combat Form. Little changes that no one notices, unless if they fought the Flood themselves and learned the tactics themselves. That's definitely part of the reason why we're having such good success against our enemies. We've trained for a whole different type of warfare, one that makes this combat seem a lot less dangerous."_

_-Colonel Ethan Anders, CO of 219th Training Regiment_


	31. Market Garden Part Three

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Market Garden Part Three

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"If the Gravemind can turn a Forerunner Ancilla to his cause, what do you think the Flood can do to our AIs? It's Cyberwarfare on an unprecedented scale."_

_-General Frederick Brooks, Alliance Cyber Command (CYCOM)_

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sullivan, or Sully to his friends, sat in the CIC that had been set up in FOB Kentucky. He was staring at his laptop, looking at the reports from units in Nos Astra. Sully minimized a window, and brought up a map. The MILINT officer looked at the three highlighted areas on the map. Each one had been a hive of activity before the invasion, and now it was a dead zone. The IEDs in the area were remote detonators, meaning that unmarked vehicles were still going through the area. Whatever was going on there, they obviously didn't want the Alliance to know about it.

Sully reached over and picked up the secure phone off of his desk, and dialed a number that he had committed to memory.

"Jimmy? It's Sully. Do we have any SMUs in the three Grey Zones? We do? Do you think you could spare some? I want them checked out. Think you can handle it? Thanks."

He hung up the phone, and looked back at the map. Sully knew that whatever the hostiles were hiding, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Maverick checked his M27S, and walked out of the Greyhound IFV that had delivered his AFO team into the Grey Zone that had been cut off from the rest of the city by an ODST security cordon. The Tier One operators stared at by the ODSTs, obvious that they were either jealous of the T-Ones, or wondering what was so important that they were called in. Once their gear was checked, Maverick's AFO team grabbed the two UCADs from the Greyhound and put them up in the air. A controller in the Greyhound would use them to help the AFO team.

Maverick, Colt, Pegasus, and Centaur made their way away from the cordon, and deeper into the Grey Zone. Drones had been handling combat operations in the zone, and had marked buildings of interest for the follow-up missions. The controller took the UCADs to check them out, and after clearing them, the AFO team would check it out. At first it seemed like they had hit a dead end, but it was on the seventh building of interest that something actually came out of it.

Colt had discovered a hidden door behind a bunch of boxes, and a dumb AI devoted to this purpose hacked the door open for them. The two Asari inside were quickly dealt with, and the AFO team did a quick search. What they found horrified them.

"Jimmy, Maverick. We need to get the hell off of this planet! Now!"

* * *

Sully fired a burst from his M4A9, and watched as the Flood Combat Form dropped. He shifted targets, and brought down another one before the rifle clicked empty. The MILINT officer reloaded, and fired rounds into the crowd of Flood charging the defensive perimeter around FOB Kennedy, the last place to be evacuated on Illium. Sully could hear the screams of men and women as the Flood reached them. The trenches around FOB Kennedy, rapidly set up to be a first-line of defense, had been turned into a death trap as the Flood rushed the perimeter, and made it inside them. He watched as one woman ran out of ammo, and was assimilated by the Flood, before a sniper round took her head off. It was gruesome, but he had seen many gruesome things in his life, and shook it off. Nothing would be worse than the memory of watching Dimah be killed by Insurrectionists.

A Sentinel flew overhead the perimeter, and blasted one of the trenches that had been overrun, completely vaporizing the Flood forms inside. The Sentinels carried by the Watchtower had been deployed, and they were doing major damage against the Flood. But it might not be enough, as the Flood kept coming and coming. A mortar round slammed into the horde of Flood, and Sully watched in satisfaction as the Infection forms popped, and a couple of Combat forms were flung through the air. The mortar crews were a blessing, taking out groups of Flood and giving the people in the trenches time to get back to the walls of the FOB. But the reports across the perimeter showed that it wouldn't be enough.

They were running low on ammo, and the Flood had completely covered the trenches. Mines exploded across the perimeter as the Flood charged from the trenches, and superheated microwaves fried them as they ran. Sully emptied a mag into the horde, and drew his M9E. The pistol was deadly accurate, and the 2x zoom on the pistol was enough for him to accurately pick off Infection Forms. When the pistol went dry, he reloaded both of his weapons and continued to lay accurate and deadly fire into the enemy, while six Katana bombers entered the combat zone.

Napalm was dropped, the jelly frying the Flood, but still they kept coming. Sentinels fired into the horde, but as one Combat Form jumped up at one of the constructs and slammed it into the ground, they began to get overwhelmed by the massive number. But it was enough. Ospreys landed in the FOB, and under the cover of Hornets, Vultures, gunships, CAS, Sentinels and Drones, the perimeter evacuated, leaving a CHAOS tactical nuke in the FOB. As the Flood overran it, the nuke detonated, completely obliterating them. The first major fight against the Flood, although successful, was a Pyrrhic Victory. Hundreds of troops had been killed by the Flood, and Illium was forced to be abandoned.

As Andersen's fleet left the system, a NOVA bomb planted on Illium detonated, completely destroying the planet and wiping out the Flood threat. A battle group led by a Titan-class Carrier returned to the system to make sure that they were dead.

* * *

Admiral Lord Terrence Hood looked at the members of the video conference that had been called by him. There was Lasky, Hwakas, Andersen, Hackett, Ojeda, Osman, Harper, Drescher, and several others, including the Chief. Each and every one of them had experience against the Flood.

Hood started the meeting with, "Andersen, what the hell happened on Illium?"

The Rear Admiral said, "We were ready for the Flood, Admiral. But it wasn't enough. Almost everyone on that planet had no experience with the parasite, and they freaked. We managed to salvage the situation, but it wasn't how we hoped it would turn out. But the Flood is completely cleared out in that system. A NOVA made sure of that. It won't happen again, Admiral."

"You bet it fucking won't. But it's obvious that some of our equipment didn't work like it was supposed to. The Boomerangs proved to be a complete and utter failure. They did damage, but the Flood grew smart. I'm officially ordering all units to get rid of the Boomerangs. General Stevens, the microwave transmitters worked excellently. If we're going to have vehicles designed to combat the Flood, those are the way to go."

Stevens, the chief scientist in the Alliance dedicated to make equipment designed for fighting the Flood, said, "Yes, sir."

"Ojeda, Osman. What have you two figured out?"

Serin spoke first, "We've found three more systems that are being used by the Flood. A Prowler is watching them, and finding out where they're going. With this, we hope to find more. And SkyNet has discovered Tevos's location."

SkyNet was a larger version of Watchtower, designed to cover the Milky Way instead of just a planet. It was a joint operation by the ASC, Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI, along with OGA elements.

"What are you going to do about Tevos?"

"It depends. If you want her dead, we're going to drop a MAC round on her house. If you want her alive, I've got a couple of assets in place."

Hood mulled it over, and said, "We want her alive."

Osman nodded, before Ojeda said, "What AFO Stallion found on Illium was a major treasure trove of intelligence. Apparently the STG was researching the Flood, and they found quite a lot about them. What's interesting is that they came up with a way for the Crucible, what was used to stop the Reapers, to be able to stop the Flood. And it doesn't target the Flood's food like the Halo Array."

There was a shocked silence, although Hwakas didn't look surprised.

Ojeda continued, "It targets the Flood's water levels. No other organism in the known galaxy has the same consistency of water. Not even aquatic species. The Salarians planned on having the Crucible turn into a Halo Array, except it's designed to specifically target the Flood, like how the Crucible was designed to work against synthetics. It's an interesting fix to the issue of keeping the Flood from being overwhelming. The problem is, that the Crucible was moved and hidden. So either we're going to have build a new one, or we're going to have to devote resources to finding it."

Hood said, "Do whatever it takes to find it, Ojeda. But I want it start being built in case you don't find it. Osman, I want Cerberus looking for it too."

As a Sentinel flew past his window, the Lord of the Admiralty turned his attention to Lasky and Hwakas, "How goes the fleet construction?"

Lasky had been named commander of the fleet that would be going to the Andromeda Galaxy, and with Hwakas's help, they were currently building the fleet that would be going, since the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive that would have the capability of jumping to another galaxy was inexplicably huge, and so the ship would have to be built around it.

Lasky said, "Progress is going much quicker than we had assumed. I guess informing the companies of the Flood so they could take action to defend their own assets out there was a good move. Over half the fleet is done being built already, and the other half is beginning construction. If there are Flood in the Andromeda, they're not going to know what hit them."

A similar question was posed to Harper, who was leading the fleet searching the Milky Way, who responded, "We're going operational in two days. Cerberus, ECHELON, and ONI have been highlighting Flood systems for us to target. So far there's twenty-three systems overrun by the Flood, and who knows how many more we've missed. It's going to be slow work, Admiral. But we'll get the job done."

The rest of the meeting was detailing out issues on the Flood, before Hood said, "Alright. Good job everyone, I'll be calling for another update in a couple of days, unless if something major happens."

* * *

A.N.: So kind of a short chapter, just to finish up Market Garden and introduce the Flood. Now that this is done with, things are going to get real interesting to say the least.

* * *

_"ASC Dinosaur. A one-of-a-kind type of ship. Thirty-three kilometers long, this ship is designed for nothing more than battle. Every inch of its hull is covered with missile pods, energy projectors, MACs, hell, even a couple of Onagers are on it. A skeleton crew of two thousand is manning it with the help of "dumb" AIs. This beast is going to be the one that causes the Council forces to shit their pants just by hearing about it."_

_-Rear Admiral Norman Jenkins_


	32. Bag and Drag Part One

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Bag and Drag Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

_"The most horrifying thing about this war is that the other shoe hasn't dropped. And when it does, I'm afraid that it's going to be a massive shoe falling from a great height."_

_-Vice Admiral Steven Hackett_

* * *

A lone satellite orbited a planet that not many people outside of the Alliance knew about. Borenson was declared a Red Zone about midway through the Insurrection, and a news report made by ONI Section Two reported that the planet had become a nuclear wasteland after a nuke was set off by Insurrectionists. But that was far from the truth. Borenson was a playground for drug cartels, mercenaries, Insurrectionists, Warlords, terrorists, you name it, it was there. But it also had some measure of safety to it. If you wanted to be protected, Borenson was the place to go, as long as you had cash. Blackwater Galactic had a fleet of over thirty ships, just one level below of being of the line ships, in the system, and they often kept pirates and slavers out of the system. After all, a great source of money came from Borenson, and no PMC in their right mind would let it be put to waste. Villas in the countryside were protected by hired mercenaries and warlords, going so far as having roadblocks set up on roads to keep any potential attack away.

For this reason, Borenson was also a training ground for new paramilitary operations. ONISAD had operated on this planet so many times, that it was like a training mission for new recruits. And each faction on Borenson knew that there was nothing they could do about it. Blackwater would look the other way when an ONI Prowler or Stealth ship would arrive in system, and insert an ONISAD team to take out a local leader. And so the next century was spent with the people fearing the day that an ONISAD team was put on Borenson.

The satellite, the only one that had survived the fighting on the Red Zone, was operated by ONI to identify targets for the ONISAD team, and to keep an eye on things. But today, it served a different purpose.

* * *

Councillor Tevos stood on the deck of the villa that Shiala had managed to get on one of the planets that the Alliance had declared a Red Zone. From her spot, she could see her Commandos running armored patrols throughout the grounds, while some of them had set up checkpoints along the road in front of the villa, making sure that no attack came in by vehicle. As her gaze swept across the villa, she could see the pool that had been built, the guard posts that held two Commandos each, the snipers in the forest and the roofs. A smile crossed her face at her protection, before it fell as she thought on the situation with the Alliance.

The war wasn't going well, not well at all. She hadn't expected them to capture T'soni so easily, and she knew that T'soni would break under interrogation. Indoctrination wouldn't hold up well under interrogation. Then the rescue of Omega, was something she had not anticipated either. Nor did she anticipate the terrorist group to manage to capture Thessia and stage an assault on the Citadel. But now, it would be different.

One of her intelligence briefs had told her that the Alliance had detonated one of their NOVA bombs on Illium, to take out the parasite. But the public didn't need to know that. Tonight, she would be making a broadcast that announced the intended use of WMDs against the Alliance. With the evidence of the NOVA on Illium, the public would rally behind her. And then the nuclear war would start. Another smile crossed her face.

* * *

Chief Analyst Robert Cole looked at the satellite image of the planet Borenson. It had been zoomed in, enough to where he could see the features of the Asari standing on the deck of a villa. He compared picture to a close up of Tevos, and then smiled when it was a perfect match.

The analyst made a call, and when it was answered, said, "We found the bitch."

* * *

A.N.: So, a really short chapter this time. But someone brought it to my attention that I was lacking in showing Tevos. And so I made a little piece with Tevos, just to get it in before the bag and drag. Anyway, next chapter is going to be up really soon.

* * *

_"She's going down. One way or another, this ends now."_

_-Sandman_


	33. Bag and Drag Part Two

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Bag and Drag Part Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"Oh my God. General, everyone has to be evacuated now!"_

_-Corporal James Locke_

* * *

In the week since Tevos's safehouse had been discovered, many things had happened. Tevos had successfully put seven Thessia-class Stealth Frigates without the Alliance knowing, utilizing stolen stealth tech to keep it that way. The Stealth Frigates were armed with prototype energy projectors utilizing a mixture of mass effect technology and the Alliance's own tech, with a mass accelerator as well in case the energy projectors failed. Each Frigate had three nuclear missiles that could be used if the fleet sent to Borense after Tevos was larger than thought. When the Alliance came after her, they would be in for a surprise.

The Alliance, mainly ONI, had gotten local assets to observe the safehouse, and get a hold of local transport for use by the ONISAD, S-IVs, and local forces hired out from a semi-friendly Warlord. A Thermopylae-class Heavy Cruiser, two Juggernaut-class Destroyers, seven Chicago-class Frigates, and three Normandy-class Stealth Frigates were formed into a battle group for the operation.

The game was on.

* * *

On August the 15th, thirteen Alliance warships dropped out of slipspace, weapons charged and ready to rock. Their scanners searched the system as the thirteen ships, only ten of them visible, spread out, making sure it was clear. It was only by blind luck that the Thermopylae-class Heavy Cruiser barely missed one of the Thessia-class Stealth Frigates. Seeing that the system appeared to be clear, Captain Lou Jones, the commander of the battle group, ordered the ONISAD and S-IV teams groundside, despite his misgivings. The two ONISAD teams would work with the hired locals in getting past the defenses on the safehouse in an attempt to grab Tevos before anyone knew they were there, while the S-IVs, consisting of six Fireteams, would attack by way of Warthog through the front gate, trying to buy the ONISAD and locals some time by distracting the Commandos.

It was after the four Stealth Ospreys and two Stealth Albatrosses, each one carrying two Hornets, that the shit hit the fan. Seven bolts of energy were flung from the darkness of space at the Destroyers and the Heavy Cruiser. Three of the shots missed the _Thermopylae _somehow, shocking the hell out of Jones. How could someone miss such a large target? Only one of the four that was fired at the cruiser hit its mark, draining the flagship's shields by seventy percent. Another shot missed its intended target, the Juggernaut-class Destroyer _Manson_, while the other two shots each hit a Destroyer, causing their shields to fail. With their positions lit up on the Alliance's fleet's sensors, the Thessias tried to shift positions. Unfortunately for them, the Normandy-class Stealth Frigates were on the hunt.

Two of Tevos's ships were destroyed before they even knew they were in trouble, and in the minute it took them to realize that there were stealth ships gunning for them, another two were hit. The remaining three Thessias immediately went dark, using only thrusters to try and mask their heat signature. Unfortunately for them, the Alliance was in the best in the galaxy at stealth, and immediately found where they were, based off of a design flaw that are put in schematics and are only fixed once the ship is actually being built. As another round of fire came at the stealth frigates, the two Commanders both knew they would be dying. But they wanted to do some damage first.

They both went FTL, their thrusters giving them time to avoid the rounds, and charged the two Destroyers. Their energy projectors fired again, followed up by mass accelerator rounds. As the rounds hit their targets, they turned their attention away, and then launched their nuclear missiles at the largest target in the system. Jones barely had time to scream for a ship evacuation before the missiles, which were fired in FTL, hit the Cruiser, destroying the shields and cleaving a huge hole in the ship. As the two stealth frigates were destroyed by the remaining combat capable ships, one of them literally being dropped on by a Stealth Frigate and taking point-defense weapons straight into the hull, dropships and Bumblebees left the _Thermopylae _and landed on Borense's moon, Surge IV.

Jones stood in the bridge, listening to the AI, Hogan, telling him about the damage done to the ship. The ship's Sentinel contingent were already working on repairs, and the decks were sealed off from the areas that had taken damage, leaving all but some of the hangars, armories, and conference rooms table. He knew the war had just changed, and as his communications officer alerted him that Tevos had broadcast a message and they were unable to keep it from getting out of the system, he feared it wasn't for the good.

If he only knew how right he was.

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Charles Xavier sat in the Warthog's passenger seat as they drove along the road to the safehouse where Tevos was hiding out. His BR95HB was in one hand, the other on the door's top for a way to easily jump out of the vehicle. They had already plowed through two roadblocks, the M172 LAAGs blasting through the Commandos manning them. As they came on the third roadblock, the last one before they got to the safehouse, Xavier could see the Commandos getting ready. One stuck out in his eyes, and it wasn't until the Warthog got a little closer that he could see why.

"All units, this is Hammer One. There's a heavy rocket at the roadblock. Hammer Three, Detroit Two. Take it out."

Hammer Three and Detroit Two, packing SRS103s, were both in one of the civilian 'Hogs that the local assets had managed to get a hold of, and as they stood up and lined their sights on the heavy weapon, the 'Hog slowed down for them. As two suppressed shots were fired, both of them hitting the target, the vehicle sped up again to meet back up with the seven other vehicles. Xavier watched as energy rounds were flung from the LAAGs at the roadblock, hitting flesh and cauterizing wounds. One of the Commandos danced a deadly macabre before Hammer Two, the driver of his Warthog, slammed into her with the hood of the vehicle. The eight Warthogs continued down the road, acting like nothing had happened. Although Hammer Two did grimace at the bloodstain on the Warthog. It would take a while to clean it out.

As they approached the safehouse, gunfire pinged off of metal, and Xavier growled out, "Shields up."

Energy shields flared to life around the vehicles, and the gunfire wasn't able to pass through the shields. Hammer Two swerved to avoid a rocket, which detonated harmlessly the road behind the last vehicle. As they reached the safehouse gates, they could see that they were closed. Unfortunately for Tevos, the assault force had come prepared. Two rockets smashed into the front gates, twisting and weakening the metal, so that they were smashed open as Hammer One's Warthog slammed into them. Hammer Four, the gunner, continued to fire as the Two stopped the Warthog, and they dismounted. Rounds were flung out from rifles, hitting and dropping targets as the S-IVs and local forces secured the area around the gate. As the last Commando fell under a hail of fire from a LAAG, the S-IVs pushed in to the safehouse.

The first place they hit was the pool area, and as they rushed it, they felt their shields taking hits from the Commandos positioned up high and inside the actual house. As a sniper took out a shield of one of the S-IVs and another managed to get a shot off before Xavier gunned her down, the first Spartan fell. The locals managed to get the body out, and lean her up against a wall. When the last Commando at the pool danced a deadly macabre from a S-IV using an old Sion rifle that the Commandos had managed to get a hold of, Xavier did a head count and check of biofeeds. Only Detroit Three had been killed, although Minotaur Four had taken a grenade straight through his arm, and was barely hanging on thanks to biofoam.

With Fireteam Minotaur staying back with Detroit Three, the S-IVs and local forces moved further in, stepping through the shattered glass windows and checking the rooms as they went. So far there had been no signs of other Commandos, most likely having fallen further back in the house to buy more time for Tevos to be evacuated.

As they cleared a living room, Xavier's radio went off, with a voice saying, "Hammer One, this is Sandman. We've got a location on their security room. Marking it for you now. You're going to have to take them out if we're going to be undiscovered."

As a blip showed up on his HUD, Xavier said, "Got it, Sandman. We'll take it out."

Xavier looked over his IVs, and said, "Hammer, Detroit, you come with me. The rest of you, you're under Odin One."

The seven S-IVs peeled off of the group, and made their way to the security room. Almost immediately it became clear that the Commandos didn't want it to fall into their hands as gunfire lit up the small hallway, shields flickering under the high volume of fire. The seven Spartans continued to push through, as Bitching Betty blared about their shields being at fifty percent or lower. But they ignored the automated voice, and slaughtered the Commandos, not giving any of them time to retreat. Unlike Fireteam Crimson, they didn't like playing with their enemies.

After clearing another hallway, Detroit Two asked, "Didn't Betty get taken out of the GEN-IVs?"

The others merely shrugged, before they found themselves at the last hallway, with the security room at the end of it. A platoon of Commandos stood between them and it, each and every one of them using old Sion rifles. Xavier silently cursed at the luck, since the Sions, while not at the tip of the iceberg in DEW weaponry like their equipment, the high volume of fire that would undoubtedly be coming towards their way was more than enough to take down shields and punch through armor. But no matter what, if Tevos was going down, they would have to take out the security room.

Xavier said, "Let's do this shit."

The seven S-IVs exploded into action, lances of deadly energy hitting flesh and cauterizing wounds. They moved fast, going from what little cover there was to another piece. The Spartans were already halfway down the hall before the Commandos even started shooting, the augmentations giving them the advantage. Rounds hit shields and armor, making burn marks on the GEN-IVs. Xavier found a piece of cover behind an overturned desk that had obviously come from somewhere else, and let his shields recharge. There was one problem with the Sion rifles that had caused them to be replaced by the M4A8s, and that was the fact that there was no penetration whatsoever, and so the desk was more than enough. Once his shields were at a hundred percent, Xavier made his move.

He stood up, Battle Rifle on his back, and the desk in hands. As the Commandos' fire came towards him, he threw the desk down the hallway and ran after it. The desk slammed into three Commandos, slamming them into walls hard enough so their spines snapped. He didn't pay it any mind, in favor of drawing his M9E and putting rounds into the remaining Commandos. The daring move was enough to kill the rest of the Commandos, and all that stood between them and the security room was a door. Detroit One, an intelligence specialist, began the process of hacking the door since they didn't have breaching charges.

After a minute of no results, Xavier's impatience caught up with him, and he said, "Fuck it."

An armored first slammed into the door, denting it, before another one slammed into it, making a hole in the door. Xavier smirked, and with his right hand, pulled the door right off the hinges. As he threw the door behind him, he caught sight of the shocked faces of the Asari Maidens and two Commandos manning the security room.

With a M9E in hand, he said, "Boo," armor making his voice heard.

As energy rounds slammed into the Asari, not one of them had time to react.

Looking at the monitors showing the feeds coming from the security cameras, Xavier smirked, and said, "Sandman, this is Hammer One. Security room is in our control. But there's something you're going to love."

* * *

Sandman grimaced as he ran on the wet grass, a spike of pain shooting up his leg from the ankle that had either been sprained or twisted by the hole that he had stepped in. The Asari obviously didn't care about the look of the safehouse, and the tall grass had hidden the hole from him. But the ONISAD operative didn't let it affect him, and continued on with the mission. He scanned the roof of the garage, spotting the familiar outline of a sniper under Cloak. The ONISAD operative marked the position of the sniper, and almost instantly, a suppressed shot slammed into the Commando.

He said, "I think that's the last of them Dune. If there were others, we would've been caught by now."

Up on the hill across the road from the safehouse, Dune said, "Go it. Sniper Team One is moving."

Dune and Thorne, under the cover of old fashioned ghillie suits, had been taking out Tevos's snipers in the forest and on the rooftops for the S-IVs and Sandman and the rest of Majestic. With no more snipers, they ditched the suits, and began running down the hill towards the property. The other ONISAD operatives continued to move, knowing that time was limited, since a transmission had gotten out of the safehouse before they could stop it.

Majestic and Sandtrap, which had received a new member in the form of Cactus, a Ranger who had gone into ONISAD, had been taken from their respective locations to take down Tevos. ONI had put up a drawing for the honor of taking out Tevos once she was located, and the luck of the draw had gone in their favor, although Sandman suspected that Ojeda had chosen Sandtrap on purpose. The former S-IVs, mainly Demarco and Grant, still had their attitudes from the IVs and ODSTs, and he suspected that Sandtrap was there to keep them in line.

As the ONISAD operatives continued running on the grass towards the landing pad where Tevos had been taken to by the Commandos to keep her out of harm's way, they could hear the sounds of gunfire coming from the back of the house as the S-IVs tried to push their way to the landing pad. Sandman checked the ammo counter on his M27S, and nodded in satisfaction at the full counter. More than enough ammo for what would happen. Schematics of the safehouse had been taken from the Cartel that had built it, and it showed that the safehouse had an underground passage that went from the house to the landing pad, which the Commandos didn't know about since they didn't get the schematics and the Cartel had "forgot" to mention it to them. Once they were in the house, the ONISAD operatives, now with Dune and Thorne with them, found the entrance inside a study, and immediately made their way through it, fast yet cautious.

When they got to the end, there was a ladder that led straight up to the landing pad, with the door they had to open being under the symbol on the landing pad. Sandman wondered why everyone had to put symbols on landing pads, but that thought didn't last long when they started to climb up. They silently opened the door, making sure that the Commandos and Tevos, who was prone on the ground near them, didn't notice them. When they were all up, Sandman made a dash to Tevos, and grabbed her quickly. With her in his arms, the easiest and quickest way to move her, he ran back to the passage entrance and dropped down, barely squishing the scream as he landed, hard. The rest of the ONISAD operatives followed him in, with Dune closing the door behind them. Tevos was put on the ground, looking at them in fear.

She asked, "What are you going to do?"

Sandman growled, "Wouldn't you like to find out" before slamming the butt of his M27S into her head, making everything go black for her.

As the six operatives moved down the passage, Sandman contacted Hammer One, "Hammer One, Sandman. We've got Tevos. Kill them all."

"Got it, Sandman."

As the S-IVs finished clearing the safehouse after securing the landing pad, a Stealth Osprey landed outside of the safehouse away from visible eyes. When it took off, there were seven more people on board.

* * *

A.N.: So, I'm pretty sure this is a somewhat long chapter. I don't know since I typed this up on fanfiction's doc manager since Word hasn't been liking me recently. Anyway, so Tevos is in the bag, the Council races have access to stealth tech with a flaw, and then there may be an alliance in the making between a couple of groups and the Alliance coming. I don't really know yet. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"There's one thing wrong with the ONISAD program that no one seems to have been able to work out yet. Every single damn time there's a S-IV entered into ONISAD, their personality, usually changed to be more respectful since ONISAD has a reputation to maintain, remains the same. No matter what we do, it's always the same. The only conclusion we've been able to reach is that their just that thick-headed."_

_-Sandman on S-IVs and ONISAD training_


	34. Harvest

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Harvest

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"Red optics? Do you think we're the bad guys or something?"_

_-Sandman_

* * *

Commander Eric Ortega walked through the halls of the Stealth Destroyer _Iroquois_ towards the bridge in preparation for the slipspace jump from Trevalyn, where the fleet that would be searching for the Flood in the Milky Way was being based out of, to Ivanoff Station at Installation 03, where they would meet with the Infinity-class ship _Ultimacy_ and the Fiji-class Battlecruiser _Vesuvius_ and take a random jump before heading to a Flood-infested system to cleanse it of the parasite.

As he walked through the halls of the Destroyer, Ortega returned the salutes of the crew and Marines he passed. When he walked past the armory where the ONISAD teams known as Nightmare and Crimson were using as their quarters for the duration of the tour, he made the mistake of looking through the door at the right time to see one of them wearing their helmet with glowing yellow optics. The Commander shivered slightly. Nothing was more fearsome than ONISAD, except for the Flood possibly.

When he reached the bridge, the four Marines guarding it saluted as he passed. He returned the salutes, and walked over to his spot in the bridge, from which he could monitor the activities going on. Lieutenant Junior Grade Mitchell Krebs was putting in the calculations for the slipspace jump while Ensign Hodges, the communications officer, was making sure that they were cleared for the jump. Just as they were about to jump, they were interrupted by a transmission that was broadcasted on all channels.

"This is Harvest Defense Force, Captain James Blanton! We're under attack! I repeat, we're under attack! The colony's being overrun, and the fleet's gone! The Flood is here! I repeat, the Flood's on Harvest!"

Another voice, one that Ortega recognized as Lord Admiral Terrence Hood, came on the net, and ordered, "All combat capable ships not assigned to garrison duty or on mission. Get to Harvest immediately!"

The net was filled with ships replying to the call for arms, and Ortega mulled the thought of assisting the colony over. But he knew the faster that the Flood systems were taken out, the faster this war would be over.

He said, "Krebs, take us to Ivanoff Station."

There were sounds of protest at this, but Krebs nodded. While not happy, the bridge crew would follow orders. Some of them may have understood his reasoning. But no one wanted to abandon a colony.

As the _Iroquois_, named after the Destroyer under Commander Jacob Keyes that had been destroyed at Shanxi, entered slipspace. Ortega hoped he made the right choice.

* * *

In the Epsilon Indi system, a battle that dwarfed all other battles that occurred in this war, by size and ferocity, was taking place. The Flood, using their assimilated Reapers and other ships, including a couple of Forerunner ships, had attacked the system with well over three thousand ships, surprising the defense fleet of sixty. Despite their efforts, the Epsilon Indi Defense Fleet was defeated. But not one of their ships had been taken over by the Flood. When the Flood began to put their ground forces, assimilated Husks and Infection Forms, to take over the planet, they were unprepared for the stiff resistance. Utgard had been extremely well defended, and the Flood lost well over three hundred thousand to the city's defenders, a thousand Marines with artillery, armor, and air support. But the Flood had gotten within the city by the time the first reinforcements, ten Chicago-class Frigates that slammed their way through the Flood ships in order to put ODSTs and other forces on the ground, before keeping the Flood ships at bay. When the rest of the reinforcements arrived, numbered at six hundred and seventy two ships, made up of Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers, Carriers, two Battlecruisers, and a Supercarrier. None of the Infinity-class ships were available, and their absence was felt as the battle began.

* * *

On the ground, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson Junior cursed as his fireteam of ODSTs that he had taken command of flung rounds into the larger horde of Flood forms. that were charging them. A Boomerang that hadn't been taken away yet let its ineffective weapon fly, its crew having modified it. The C-17 explosives that were attached it exploded in the middle of the horde, sending many of the forms flying. As the crew let another batch of Composition-17 fly, Johnson hoped that it would stay effective.

He grimaced when his MK22 EBR clicked empty, and reached for another mag, shouting, "Reloading!"  
Johnson needn't have bothered with the warning as two Screechers rolled up, and unleashed their microwaves into the Flood. The Flood boiled under the intense heat, giving the fireteam of ODSTs and contingent of vehicles, that had been holding out at the orbital elevator time for a breather before the next wave. Already, three waves of Flood had attacked, trying to get the elevator. When they were all reloaded, the Sar Major shifted the new arrivals for the best effect.

As Johnson saw another horde coming towards them, this time a mix of Husks among them, he yelled, "Get ready!"

But he knew that no amount of preparation would make an effective defense against the Flood, and that it was only an amount of time before they were forced to fall back or be overrun. He would make sure to take as many of them down as he could. The former S-I was a dangerous opponent, even to the Flood.

As the Flood got close, rounds slammed into them, the ODSTs focusing on the popcorn while the vehicles handled the Combats and Carriers. When his hundred round clip clicked empty, there was no time to reload, and drew his M9E. The pistol put out fifteen rounds of very deadly ammunition that was perfect for taking out Infection forms in a single shot.

Johnson, reloading the pistol, yelled, "Kill those motherfuckers! Don't let the popcorn get close! We can do this, Helljumpers!"

It was endless, and the Marines were forced to switch to single shots as ammo dwindled. As one Flood form fell, it seemed like two more took its place. The horded seemed hellbent on taking the Orbital Elevator, where a Corvette was being repaired after an engagement against a Turian patrol fleet. The AI on the Orbital Elevator had been hit by a massive cyber attack that cut her off from the database where the Corvette was in, and she couldn't wipe the NAV on it, as per the Anders' Protocol. And so the ODSTs, originally a platoon of twenty-seven, had been put to guarding it with six Warthogs, two Hornets, and three Boomerangs. Now the ODSTs were down to seven, the Warthogs were now two strong, both Hornets had been taken down when they got too low, and the Boomerangs were being targeted and were low on C-17.

As one of the Boomerangs rocked slightly from a Combat Form smashing into it, Johnson said, "Command, this is Ravager Seven. We're being hit hard out here. If we're going to keep the elevator, we need reinforcements!"

His sentence was finished with a shout as one of the ODSTs fell back as an Infection Form impaled itself on him. As the transformation started, Johnson accurately put rounds into the piece of popcorn, but the transformation was too far along and the ODST was assimilated. A round from an EBR slammed into the ODST, killing him. There wasn't time for grief, and the ODSTs shifted to pick up the slack.

"Ravager Seven, this is Baseplate. We're dispatching an ART to your position, and two Hornets. ETA ten minutes. A S-III team will be there in fifteen. Hang in there, Seven. Baseplate out."

Baseplate was the universal callsign for SOC. Johnson, while hoping for armor or a gunship, knew that the Advanced Recon Team, sixteen operators made up of Force Recon Marines and Recon specialists from other SOF units, would be extremely helpful, and the two Hornets, most likely flown by Nightstalkers, was overkill. But ten minutes was an extremely long time to wait when dealing with the Flood.

Five minutes later, the situation became extremely desperate. Each ODST were down to their last mag of EBR, while Johnson was down to his last two magazines. The Boomerangs were out of C-17, and their main weapon was ineffective, since the Flood had used it to their advantage on Illium by grabbing on to get in the middle of defenses. And the Flood seemed to be focusing more resources against them, enough so the situation looked bleak, more so than before.

As the Flood got closer, the volume of fire coming from the Warthogs and Boomerangs, and the microwaves from the Screechers not bothering them in the slightest, Johnson heard, "Ravager Seven, Command. Watchtower shows that the Flood is focusing on your position. We're diverting Thunder and Gunslinger Troops to your location. ETA, three mikes. They'll be coming down the highway."

Dropping a Combat Form with a shot to the popcorn hanging off of its chest, Johnson replied, "Got it, Command. We'll be here."

The determination in his voice was extremely noticeable, and the communications officer back at FOB Whiskey had no trouble in believing that the Sar Major and his men would still be there. If anyone could pull it off without being a Spartan or ONISAD, it would be Sergeant Major Avery Johnson Junior.

* * *

Lieutenant Adam Potter sat in the open hatch, his hands wrapped around the M172 LAAG that was the Ares's primary anti-air weapon, unless the tank was modified with Helios automated anti-air defenses, watching the smoke rising from Utgard in the midst of the fighting against the Flood. The Lieutenant, CO of Gunslinger Troop, listened to Captain Derek Miller, acting CO of the 17th Armored Battalion, relaying instructions from Command. Gunslinger and Thunder were to divert from their course to the City Hall, from where they would push into the city, to the Orbital Elevator, a three minute drive down the Sif Highway. The problem? Sif was cut right in the middle between their location and the Orbital Elevator.

Banshees, Ravagers, Marauders, Husks, Brutes, Abominations, Adjutants, Praetorians, Scions, Cannibals, and Flood Forms stood between them and the Orbital Elevator. Swarmers and Harvesters were flying through the air, engaged in aerial fights with Alliance fighters and interceptors, who were forced to use autocannons in favor of their missiles, since they were ineffective at tracking them. If one thing went wrong, such as a Harvester getting lucky and knocking off a tread on one of the tanks, the Troops wouldn't be able to get to the beleaguered forces at the Orbital Elevator, since orders told them to stick together. When Miller finished briefing him, Potter closed the hatch of the Ares and got in his seat.

"Thunder, Gunslinger Troop's moving."

Miller, in a Williams IFV with Thunder Troop, said, "Roger, Gunslinger. Get the left flank, Thunder's got the Right."

As Gunslinger spread out in the middle to cover the flank, Potter said, "Roger, Thunder. Left flank's covered."

"Let's roll."

The two Troops, made up of Ares tanks and Williams IFVs, started to roll down the highway, they almost immediately started firing at the enemy as Ravagers at the designated front line on the highway began to fire. Countermeasures were launched, the canister shells slamming into the Ravagers' rounds with intense force, protecting the Troops. Long-range rounds slammed into the Ravagers, courtesy of the Ares and Williams, eliminating the Flood's artillery within the first thirty seconds of Gunslinger and Thunder began moving. On a highway, everything moved fast. When they reached the midpoint of their destination, everything went to hell.

The Flood and Husks threw themselves at the armor, smashing into them. But with no heavy weapons since the Ravagers had been taken out, the two Troops were able to push right through them, LAAGs on remote control firing into the horde. It was the Harvesters that flew above them that were causing problems. Rounds splashed across shields, before the creatures flew out of range of the IFVs' Helios autocannons. When they came back in for another pass, a Harvester hung back, and dropped off a Ravager. The Troops were too busy engaging the other Harvesters to notice, until a round splashed next to Potter's Ares.

Adam looked at the Ravager, which was charging up another shot. It was too late for it to be stopped.

But he was shocked to see the Ravager get nailed by a heavy round, which came from the right side of the highway. When he looked, he saw nothing.

"This is Thunder Troop. Whoever you are, thanks for the help."

When the two Troops reached the Orbital Elevator, their heavy weapons were hardly needed as the Flood had shifted their focus from the Orbital Elevator to something out in the field.

Johnson merely said, "You missed out on all the fun. What the hell's wrong with you, Marines?"

* * *

Captain John-117 nodded at Linda, who looked away from her Oracle scope as the Ravager was dropped. Blue Team was on a Stealth Hornet flown by Nightstalkers, as part of the Alliance offensive to hit the Proto-Gravemind that was being formed in the ruins of a crashed Destroyer. The scientists had determined that the Flood were too organized to be in the Feral stage, meaning that they had at least a Proto-Gravemind. A quick search from the Watchtower showed where the Flood commander was being built, and Major General George S. Patton had immediately compiled a force to take out the Flood form.

Blue Team, Noble Team, ARTs, ODSTs, Airborne, Rangers, and S-IVs were put together to make up the attack force, supported by Gypsy Company and four Mammoths. As the Hornet jinked up to avoid a Ravager that got a little too close for comfort, John could see the Marines and the Mammoths crossing the farmland towards the Destroyer. Two gunships flying high pounded the Husks and Flood, with the Marines engaging what was left of the creatures from the heavy vehicles. Everybody was playing it smart.

When the Hornet slowed, and entered a hover about fifty feet up, John yelled, "Blue Team. Go, go, go!"

John, Kelly, Linda, Fred, and Will dropped down from the Hornet, which had been modified to hold the five members of Blue Team, landing on the ground with a thud. The S-IIs immediately engaged the Flood and Husks around them, not giving the hostiles anytime to fight. When the area was cleared, two Ospreys landed, and let out two platoons of Airborne, who would be rolling with the Spartans for the duration of the operation. John checked his HUD for the rallying point with Noble Team, who had inserted ahead of the invasion force to try and find the Proto-Gravemind to make the fighting easier. It was at a hangar on the Destroyer, half a klick away from their current position.

John took point as the Spartans and the paratroopers moved out, scanning for any Flood or Husks that could jump out at them. A flight of Katanas flew overhead, and released napalm on some targets in another part of the AO, before one exploded as Harvesters came out of nowhere. Linda raised her SRS-103S, intending to take a shot that she would undoubtedly make, but Fred lowered it as Cutlasses engaged the Reaper, and now Flood, air power. With the Mammoths and other units in the AO making the loudest noises to keep the Flood coming at them, the Spartans and paratroopers made it to the hangar without encountering any Flood or Husks.

When the seventy-two Humans, sixty-seven of them Airborne, they had their weapons out and searching for targets. The whole hangar was infested with Flood biomass, but surprisingly, there were no other signs of the Flood. One of the paras took a cylindrical object out of his pack, and typed in a few quick commands, before setting it on the ground. When John came around a wall, he saw six humans wearing MJOLNIR GEN4 armor, weapons pointed in each direction. The one watching his way immediately let the rest of the team know he was there.

"Blue, Noble. You ready?"

John said, "Yeah, Carter. Jorge, good to see you again."

Jorge, the only S-II in Noble Team, replied, "Damn good to see you guys again."

With the paratroopers making sure that the hangar remained open for the Spartans, Blue and Noble left the hangar, heading towards the Proto-Gravemind's location.

As they walked, Carter said, "I sent Six and Jun out to find it. The bastard's in the engine room, surrounded by Combat and Carrier Forms. There's Banshees, Brutes, and Adjutants along with the Flood between us and it. Best way to go is right through them. I don't know how Six and Jun managed to make it without alerting them. Is the CHAOS primed?"

The CHAOS tactical nuke that the paratrooper had armed was set to a thirty minute detonation, to make sure that the Flood consciousness was taken out, even if seventy-eight people had to die to achieve it. The rest of Humanity was more important than two teams of Spartans and two platoons of Airborne.

John said, "Yeah. How's your ammo situation looking? If I know the Flood, there's going to be a fight."

"We're good. And Kat's got an idea to thin them out."

The second-in-command of Noble said, "As part of the defense against the Flood, there have been plans to put microwaves in the hallways to help out with ship defense. The Destroyer was one of those outfitted with them. Unfortunately, with the crash, the defense systems were put out. Now, if we can get to the control room, then we can turn the systems back on. The microwaves are going to fry the Flood, and help us out."

John's HUD lit up with a map of the ship, showing where the control room was. He mapped out how long it would take before talking.

"No time. The nuke's set to thirty minutes. We're going to need all the time we can get."

The Spartans of Noble Team accepted this, and John said, "Cut the chatter. Sensors just lit up."

Although none of the Spartans were reliant on their motion trackers and suits, they sure helped out a lot. The motion trackers showed Flood about thirty meters away from them, just moving around. Not one of them believed that they didn't know the Spartans were there, not with all of the biomass around. When they got within ten meters, the Flood charged.

Combat Forms, Carrier Forms, and Infection Forms went at the Spartans, not caring about the energy rounds being fired at them. As they fell, more joined in the charge. But the Spartans kept moving, heads on a swivel to make sure that they didn't get flanked or missed any of the parasites. Their rifles roared, as the energy rounds took out dozens, as they inched closer and closer to the hangar where the Proto-Gravemind was. When they made it to the hangar, they left behind hundreds of dead Flood forms, and they barely made a dent in their ammo supplies. The Infection Forms sucked at stopping penetration, and the energy rounds often killed ten or so of the popcorn-like parasites at once.

Inside the hangar, it was almost empty except for the creature that would one day end up as a Gravemind unless it was stopped, and the biomass that lined the walls. The Proto-Gravemind, made up of biomass and dead Humans from the Destroyer, covered about half of the south wall of the hangar, much too big to destroy it before the CHAOS tactical nuke went off. But as John looked around the hangar, a plan formulated in his mind.

He walked over to the terminal that would open the hangar, but before he opened the hangar door, said, "Gypsy 6, this is Sierra One-One-Seven. What's your position?"

With the sound of gunfire going through the radio, Gypsy Six said, "We're on the northern end of the Destroyer. Actually, we're right outside the hangar you guys are in."

"Awesome. Now, I'll need your Mini-MACs to fire in the hangar on my mark. Can you do that?"

"Yes, we can Spartan. We supported you on Requiem, we'll do so here."

"Good. I'm opening up the hangar now."

As he typed in the command to open the hangar, Kelly, her EBR trained on the Proto-Gravemind, asked, "Chief, what are you doing?"

"Making sure that the bastard stays dead. The Mini-MACs on the Mammoths should be enough to take it out. And the nuke's just making sure."

When he finished the command and entered it, the doors opened, letting the Marines on the Mammoths see the Proto-Gravemind. With the Flood consciousness out in the open, Patton gave the order for all units to fire.

As the Spartans exited the hangar, and ran down the halls to the two Airborne platoons and their way out, John yelled, "Gypsy, S117. Mark."

The four Mammoths fire, the Mini-Macs directly hitting the creature. Before the smoke could even clear away, a fireteam of S-IVs are already moving in the hangar and attach a thermite grenade, along with a canister of napalm apiece. When the grenades detonate, they set off the napalm, which quickly covers the diseased flesh, burning it. As the S-IVs leave and the hangar closes by way of an AI turning it off, the Proto-Gravemind is no more.

With fifteen minutes to spare, the paratroopers and Spartans leave the Destroyer, and wait at their designated LZ for the aircraft that will take them away. Two Hornets and two Ospreys landed, and when the paratroopers were all aboard the Ospreys and the Spartans were on the Hornets, the aircraft lifted off. Ten minutes later, the CHAOS detonated, and with nothing to coordinate their movements, the Flood were easily mopped up, although a section of Harvest had to be glassed since the concentration was so big.

* * *

A.N.: So this chapter's done. And for those of you who wanted to see the Chief in action or Johnson, I hope you enjoyed.

* * *

_"Why do we use yellow eyes? For one, they make us look less evil than the red eyes that the GENIs used. If we're going around with glowing red eyes, don't you think that the Innies would be getting more support? And two, stealth. If you see a pair of glowing red eyes close to the ground outside your perimeter wall, what are you going to do? Shoot at it. If you see yellow eyes? It may convince them that it's a cat, and not a highly dangerous operator. Or they'll think it over for a second or two before shooting anyway. But all we need is a second."_

_-Unknown ONISAD operative_


	35. Breakout

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Breakout

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"The Salarian Special Tasks Group, or STG, is a worthy foe. Unlike the Spectres, whose main goal is operations, the STG gathers the intelligence that is often used during Spectre missions. Despite our best efforts, the STG has managed to get intelligence assets in place all over our space, be it stealth ships or paid informants. And some of these efforts of theirs landed them in some very good places."_

_-Serin Osman, Head of Cerberus_

* * *

Tevos had no idea where she was, or even the date and time. The barbarians that dared call themselves a species had kept her unconscious for who knows how long until she woke in a cell, with six heavily armed and armored guards standing outside the cell. Her biotics didn't work, suppressed by the handcuffs that had been put on her. She was fed, but the portions could barely be called a snack. And when she tried to starve herself, they had force fed her with needles and a feeding tube. She was going mad in this place.

* * *

Zaeed Massani watched the feed from the cameras that were watching Tevos. The bitch was definitely showing signs of indoctrination, going slightly crazy in her cell as the signals from the Reapers were slowly cut off. Since the cells were Faraday Caged, and then modified to stop Reaper signals after the discovery of indoctrination in the highest levels of the Council set up by Tevos, indoctrinated prisoners were often losing some of their sanity. It wasn't the best way to defeat indoctrination, but it was better than cutting off the signals all at once, like on Virmire.

Massani, who had been hired for three months after the success that was interrogating T'soni, turned to Williams, and said, "Tell me when the signals are at ten percent. We'll start then."

* * *

(A Week Later)

Massani stepped out of the Osprey that had taken him to the surface of the moon being used as a detention facility for Priority Alpha prisoners. Insurrectionists, Cartels, Warlords, spies, and members of Tevos's Inner Circle were all held at the detention facility known as Walcroft, the mastermind of the Insurrectionist bombing of twenty-seven ODPs around Reach, Marsha Rin, the leader of the Rin Cartel which had been the number one crime syndicate until OPERATION: HERMES had eliminated their operations, Adrien Stuart, a Warlord who had held two systems in his control before the Alliance stopped him at the Battle of Psi Serpentis then took him out with OPERATION: NIAGARA IV, Dominic Caruso, the man who sold ONI secrets to the highest bidder for twenty years, and Tevos were all held at 0317, guarded by a detachment of S-IIIs and a Battle Group of seventeen ships around the clock.

Led by a team of Spartans, he entered the facility and was led to Tevos's cell. Massani was a regular sight at the detention facility, often the one interrogating them. After several security checkpoints, including biometric scans, testing of the voice, and several codes, he was in the observation room with Williams. The two hired interrogators watched her movements in the cell closely, and knew that she was closet to breaking. One session would be enough.

Massani spoke into the microphone that was on the table in front of them, "One session."

As the cameras went fuzzy, a S-III team moved into the cell.

* * *

(Warning: Torture Ahead)

The leader of the four strong S-III team known as Arachnid took the bag that she held in her hands and put it around Tevos's head before she could react. Black Widow then delivered a punch to Tevos's face, knocking her unconscious. They didn't want Tevos to have any chance of escaping. You could pull miracles when conscious.

A gurney was brought in, with Widow strapping Tevos down to it. Once she was secured, Wolf began pushing the gurney to the room where the interrogation would take place, with Widow, Tarantula, and Lynx walking next to the gurney and S-III, M4A9 rifles gripped tight. No chance were being taken in 0317, and the S-III's identities were protected with code names. Only their fellow teammates knew their names.

The S-IIIs that passed them didn't dare look at Tevos, plausible deniability and all that. When the interrogation room was reached, Tevos was woken to find herself held upside down with the bag over her head. Not a question was asked as Widow ordered Lynx to start. Water cascaded down Tevos's face, getting into her mouth and nose as drowning was simulated in a process called waterboarding. When he let up, Tevos gasped for air desperately, before Lynx started again. Five minutes in, Tevos was sobbing uncontrollably, curled up on the ground.

Massani smirked as the listening devices, which would be deleted of their recordings at the end of the hour, picked up her muttering, "What have I done, what have I done."

* * *

And elsewhere in the system, a picture was taken.

Matriarch Jezrah Affani looked over the hundred ship fleet that she had been given command of to rescue Councillor Tevos. Not one of the ships was smaller than a Cruiser, the fleet relying on firepower and surprise to take out the fleet guarding Tevos's location. All they were waiting for was the word.

* * *

Captain Hank Aaron stood on the bridge that overlooked the gardens that had been created on the Thermopylae-class Heavy Cruiser, _Leonidas_, were two fireteams of Airborne were going against a platoon of Naval Security Operators, NSOs, whose job was to secure the gardens in case of boarding. It was awful to see how bad the security operators were.

Aaron, who had been one of the few to rise up from an enlisted rank, where he was a NSO, to such a high-rank, had made the exercise happen when a general alert from Admiral Hood about an enemy fleet gathering reached his console. The fact that it even reached his console told him that Hood thought it likely that they had found the captured Tevos's location. Aaron was never one to take unnecessary risks, and had immediately made sure that security was good to go. But from what he saw, it wasn't even close.

The two fireteams had managed to catch the security platoon by surprise, something Aaron thought impossible since the only way to get through the gardens was across an open path, because the surrounding foliage was so thick, it was impassable. Something that Aaron had made sure of for security reasons in case of boarding. Half of the Navy personnel had frozen up within the first minute as the high-tech gear that replaced TTR registered the highly accurate fire of the paratroopers. By the end of the second minute, only a quarter of the NSOs remained, and only one paratrooper was frozen, having got nailed by a lucky burst through the foliage where he was taking cover. As the security operators fell back, trying to get some space between them and the paratroopers, Hank guessed what was going to happen when the NSOs formed an L at a fork in the path.

When the two fireteams, now eleven strong, reached the fork, the two NSO's that formed the bottom of the L opened up on them. Two paratroopers dropped before they reacted, and returned fire, thinking that the NSOs were performing a rear guard action. But as one NSO fell and the paratroopers began to move up, the remaining ten NSOs at the top of the L opened fire. And as the paratroopers, having finished off the last NSO at the bottom of the L, returned fire, it became a battle of accuracy. And unfortunately for the NSOs, who trained on the range once a week, the paratroopers trained every day.

When the last NSO fell, the bell signalling an end of a match went off. The seven paratroopers and twenty-seven NSOs who had been frozen were unfroze, and then Chief Petty Officer Raul Menendez began to tear the NSOs a new one, while Master Sergeant Derek Westbrook did the same with his paratroopers. Aaron decided to take an elevator down to listen to them. He needed a good laugh before he went back to the bridge.

Unfortunately, when he arrived at the two groups, the Cruiser's PA system came to life, "All personnel, battle stations. Enemy ships have jumped within the system. Prepare to receive fire and repel boarders."

As the contact alarms blared throughout the ship, and the lights dimmed so power could be diverted to weapons and other needed systems, Aaron ran over to the elevator and punched the button to take him up to the bridge. He arrived just as the first shots were fired.

Commander Ben Jorgenson, Aaron's XO, said, "The _Carl Jung_ and the _Patricia_ are gone, hit by an energy projector. We took out the two ships that were armed with them, and we haven't seen anymore. Communications to anywhere outside the system are cut."

The Captain, veteran of the border clashes against the Council races that ONI kept quiet, said, "Get the detention facility on coms. I want all ships to know we're going to hold. We're not letting these bastards get Tevos."

Jorgenson, a hardened look that Aaron knew meant he would fight to the death, said, "Yes, sir."

* * *

Lieutenant Andrew Hodgens ran down the hallway in front of his platoon of ODSTs towards their drop pods. As weapons fire splashed against their energy shields, which failed unlike the four S-III's SPI energy shielding that held under the withering fire, allowing the Spartans to return fire very accurately. The ODST's motion tracker lit up with three targets ahead of him, and he raised his M27S. As the three targets rounded the corner, his suppressed rounds slammed into them, dropping them very quickly. The Human militants ignored the fire that came from further down the hallway as they ran through the intersection towards their pods, which was only three hundred feet away.

When they got in the drop bay, a squad of NSOs almost opened up on them, but luckily their HUDs identified them as friendlies in time. As the doors closed, keeping the boarding parties out but also trapping in the ODSTs if something went wrong with the drop, Hodgens and his platoon got in their SOEIVs, shutting them behind them and putting their weapons in their designated slots.

As the pods moved into their positions, Major Antonio Silva, CO of the 21st Recon Battalion (ODST), said, "About time you got here. What took you so long?"

Knowing the response that Silva wanted, Hodgens said, "The Spartans."

"Damn right, Lieutenant."

As the segment of ship that kept the ODSTs from exiting the ship opened up and they touched space, the Cruiser rocked as one of the reactors exploded, blowing a hole through the side of the ship and vented atmosphere. Hodgens watched the flames quietly, closing his eyes as his HUD identified each of the NSO operators who were flung out of the hole into the vacuum of space. Not one of them was wearing EVA gear.

As the countdown for their drop began, Silva said, "Most of the crew - not to mention your fellow jarheads - will be leaving the ship in lifeboats. They'll ride to the surface in air conditioned comfort, sipping wine, and nibbling on appetizers. Not you, however. Oh no, you're going to leave the _Leonidas_ in a different method. Tell me boys and girls… how will you leave?"

Every Helljumper, including Hodgens, yelled, "We go feet first, sir!"

And with that, the pods released. The SOEIVs headed groundside as an ODST turned on their cadence, per the tradition of Helljumpers. Hodgens, looking at the monitors inside of his own Command pod, which would allow him to coordinate his platoon but not the battalion like Silva's CIC, enjoyed the view of space, until his monitors showed the bleak future of the seventeen ship-strong Battle Group Leonidas. The ten Frigates that made up the Battle Group were all destroyed, along with the five Destroyers. Only the _Leonidas_ and the Atari-class Light Cruiser _Hopeful_ were still fighting, and judging from the flames and atmosphere, along with all of the holes, coming from the ships, they wouldn't be for long. As a wave of heat passed over the pods, each ODST knew what had just happened.

When they entered the atmosphere, the chutes on the SOEIVs opened, although there were three failures. Hodgens closed his eyes and muted Corporal Doug Jones as he screamed when his primary and reserve chutes failed. As the alert of a crashed pod went off, the Lieutenant whispered a prayer and gripped the rosary beads he always carried with him. When the pod slammed into the ground, Hodgens sprung out, his M27S searching for targets, but finding none. The ODSTs, as per their battle plan, secured LZs for the aircraft coming in behind them.

Albatrosses dropped off armor, including a Mammoth, while Ospreys dropped off Airborne, Infantry, and other vehicles. The Humans quickly set up a defense at the detention facility, allowing the S-IIIs to stay in the subterranean levels, making sure the prisoners didn't get out of hand. Marines made sure the inside of the detention facility was secured, while the Mammoth, with its mini MAC, made sure the Council fleet didn't get orbital superiority. As shuttles and Frigates dropped off their ground forces, every Human besides the prisoners gripped their weapons, waiting for the assault to begin.

As a Frigate went down by a round from the mini MAC, gunships and fighters came towards the detention center. SAMs, all types ranging from the Jericho Automatics, which could retract into the fortifications, to the hand-held SAMs that at least one person per squad carried, fired. Missiles slammed into aircraft, the volume of fire making sure that none of them could even think of hitting the defense. With so many losses, the air attack broke, and the ground assault came without air support.

As armored vehicles and infantry, mainly Husks, charged at the detention facility, drones launched their missiles at them, before SAMs shot them out of the sky. The damage was major, with over half of their armor gone. Following the drone strikes, the Ares and the Mammoth let loose with their Javelin LRRs. The rockets flew high into the sky, before slamming into the ground, with half of them exploding in mid-air and releasing clusters of munitions to take out infantry. Yet the attack still continued, and snipers, using the M122 SASRs that were capable of punching through the energy shielding used by ships, began to engage, targeting Brutes, Ravagers, Banshees, and other important targets. But they still kept coming, until they were met with the Spearthrowers.

The rocket artillery fired, targeting the crowds being marked by operators in the makeshift CIC who were using satellites to get battlefield information. Like the Javelins, most of them released cluster munitions to hit infantry, while five rockets destroyed the remaining vehicles. A second salvo, this time targeting Ravagers who were just now getting in range to fire, hit the surface, eliminating the Council forces semi-organic artillery support. But a return salvo from hidden Council artillery nailed hit their targets, and the remaining Spearthrowers relocated to keep them active for as long as possible. It didn't matter anymore as the semi-organic wave of Husks hit the perimeter.

As the mindless semi-organic creatures smashed into the perimeter, made up of high walls made out of Titanium A. The paratroopers manning the outer perimeter opened fire, their rifles on semi-auto and aiming for the heads. When the last Husk fell, each paratrooper was only down a clip. But the satellite operators informed them of another attack coming. And this one was definitely more dangerous.

As Hodgens looked at his HUD, which was showing the updated imagery, he realized that the first attack had been an attack to gauge their defenses. The wave that was coming towards them was six times as big. As the satellites showed artillery pieces moving into position, and the armored vehicles moving forward in support of the wave of Husks, the defenders pulled out all of the stops. And the only stops that hadn't been pulled in the first wave were major stops.

Before the artillery could start dropping rounds on the facility, three kinetic weapon platforms that had been missed by the Council forces let loose their Rods of God. The kinetic weapons slammed into the artillery pieces, completely destroying the deadly weapon systems and killing their crews. As the Council ships that were holding position away from the planet to avoid the mini MAC targeted the kinetic weapon systems, another salvo went off, targeting the three FOBs that had been set up. When the missiles slammed into the compounds, chaos erupted among those who stayed back at the FOBs, while the attacking forces continued on their merry way, hoping against hopes that if they took the facility, then the orbital attacks would stop.

When the Council ships moved in to take out the weapon platforms that had been used to great effect, the last Rods of God were targeted on them. Now, these final Rods of God, numbering twenty total, were nuclear. A normal Rod of God would have barely put a dent in a Frigate, but with their nuclear payload, even a Light Cruiser was under threat from these special Rods of God. But since there was no threat regarding space operations, the kinetic weapons were aimed at the Frigates that could provide support to Council ground operations. None of the Frigate crews what ended their life as the ships exploded in a fiery rain, while the weapon platforms self-destructed. And with only twelve Frigates left for ground operations, the Council's ground attack was severely hindered. But with the system dark, and another day before anyone noticed that the system was dark, it might not be enough.

* * *

Lieutenant Melissa McKay slammed the Husk to the ground before plunging her knife into its face. Her platoon, sent out of the perimeter to engage the Husks before they hit the defensive line. The Lieutenant, who had learned how to successfully use a knife during the fierce fighting in the capital of Noveria, killed another Husk before backing away to pull up her M4A9 and open fire on the Husks. As the hostiles dropped under the withering fire, the rest of her platoon disengaged and backed up to put distance between themselves and the enemy. When her mag clicked dry, she quickly drew her M9E since there was no time to reload, and began aiming at the heads.

The platoon slowly moved forward as they moved in a RS that had been designed to fight the Flood, which had been found to be effective against the Husks as well. As the ODST accurately put rounds through the Husks heads, they received support from the snipers back at the perimeter, the SRS-103s and M122 SASRs popping heads, sometimes multiple heads at once. When a Husk got too close for comfort, an ODST would drop out of the RS, alerting a fellow ODST to the fact that something was wrong. By the time the Husk could do anything, the second ODST, or the first one if their ass got in gear, would take down the Husk before turning back to the horde. While effective, the RS had one limit. Ammo.

Taking Husks down with headshots conserved ammo a lot, but these ODSTs had been fighting against an enemy that felt fear all of their lives, and the Husks had no such thing as fear, and they kept on coming. Eventually, the ODSTs began to run out of ammo, and as McKay looked at her people, some of them engaging in hand-to-hand, she knew they had to get out of there. But the horde prevented them from getting out on foot.

As she looked around, she said, "Valkyrie 6, this is Red 6. We need immediate evac. We're low on ammo, and we're getting overwhelmed."

Back at the makeshift CIC, Silva watched the monitors showing the feeds from the ODSTs in the square, and the forces up on the perimeter walls that could see the fighting. The snipers were doing their best to keep the horde at minimal strength, but ammunition was running low and they couldn't maintain the support for long. He looked at the officers in the CIC, including Colonel Jason White, who was letting Silva make the decision on what to do. As he searched each of their faces, the Major reached his decision. While hateful of Spartans for the _Atlas_ incident involving his four men, Silva was not a cruel man usually.

"Red 6, this is Valkyrie 6. We're coming to get you."

"Thank you, sir."

With that, Silva walked out of the CIC to meet up with the detachment of armor, ODSTs, and paratroopers that had been assembled as a QRF in case a unit got stranded.

He said, "Let's go."

As the three Ares rolled out, the ODSTs and paratroopers following them, the main guns fired into the horde, the canister shells acting as giant shotguns. Tens of Husks fell under the rounds, and the ones who managed to live through the salvo were crushed under the treads of the tanks as they maneuvered to McKay's position. The following special operations personnel picked off the stragglers as they trailed the Ares. This process was slow, to make sure the Husks wouldn't be able to attack their rear with those that had been bypassed, and by the time the reinforcements reached the ODSTs in the Raj-Singh maneuver, McKay and her Helljumpers were down to their final mags on their rifles.

The reinforcements quickly forced the Husks back from McKay's unit, allowing the platoon to mount the tanks as they started to make their way back to the facility. Once McKay's people and the reinforcements were inside, the gates closed behind them, keeping the Husks from having a way in. And with the advance units all back inside the facility, the human wave-like assault slammed into the walls.

* * *

Zaeed Massani watched the feeds from the monitors of the battle commencing outside as the Council forces pulled out all of the stops to get Tevos. Infected Reapers dropped off their mutated Husk forms, from standard Husks to Harvesters, to overwhelm the defenders. Despite the Mammoth firing its mini MAC, since the power requirements of a mini energy projector was too much to put on a Mammoth, the Council forces had too many ships for the vehicle to keep them from landing troops on the ground. And as a mass of Destroyers descended down to the surface, some of them exploding in a fiery rain as the Mammoth fired, Massani knew, along with everyone else watching or participating in the battle, that something was about to happen. And as the Mammoth exploded from a Destroyer's gun, and the mutated Husks combined with armor brought by reinforcements charged the perimeter, Massani knew that whoever was leading the assault was tired of playing around.

The perimeter was overwhelmed by the fire support brought by the Reapers, the devastating fire destroying armor and infantry alike. Massani closed his eyes as the Husks and armor entered the aboveground portion of the facility, and as they searched the facility. But every prisoner and the S-IIIs, except for a team that was acting as a rear guard, were all in the subterranean levels, with only one way down, creating a bottleneck for the Spartan guards to cause as much damage as possible to the attackers. None of them had even thought of possibly surviving the attack, only making sure that the Council forces took as many casualties as possible.

When the entrance to the subterranean levels were found, the Council forces sent down a wave of Husks, two Brutes, and a Banshee down first to see what resistance would be like. The token force barely made it two feet before they got hit by energy fire, taking them down before any damage could be done. With the first force completely slaughtered, the commander of the attack force knew that Husks wouldn't work, especially if some of them decided to take down prisoners, not knowing which one was Tevos. His heart heavy to send so many of his men to needless deaths over a war that none of the Council forces knew what they were fighting for, the Turian commander gave his orders.

When the second wave came down, they started shooting as soon as they exited the double doors into the subterranean levels. Rounds bouncing off shields, the S-IIIs positioned in the first hallway returned fire at the hostiles, dropping many of them, but with an almost unlimited supply of people to send to their deaths, the Council forces slowly overran the super-soldiers. As the last Spartan in that hallway, a dead man's switch that was tied to him activated, detonating a grenade in each of the cells that lined the hallways, preventing the Council forces the use of the prisoners. The barbarity of the move shocked the Council forces, and even though they were fearful of what could happen, they pushed on.

As one by one the Spartans guarding the halls were overwhelmed, taking down twenty of the Council forces for every Spartan that fell, more dead man switches went off, killing the prisoners before the Council forces could find a use for them. When one group tried to get the prisoners out before the Spartans were taken out, the Spartan that had the switch drew his pistol on himself and pulled the trigger. Not one of the prisoners, highly dangerous men and women who could massacre hundreds or thousands, would be used against the Alliance. Finally, all that was left against the Council forces push to Tevos was the S-III team known as Arachnid, and the two interrogators.

As their motion trackers showed movement around the corner, Black Widow had Massani and Williams follow her further down into the hallway, where she sent a code to the wall, causing a hidden door to open. The two interrogators were shoved in, while Tarantula pushed Tevos in her gurney inside the room. As a light turned on, illuminating the room, an Osprey dropship was revealed.

Black Widow said, "This is a prototype Stealth Osprey, outfitted with a working Shaw-Fujikawa engine. It's obvious that reinforcements won't show up in time, and the dead man's switch I have is one to bring down the whole facility. The Osprey has a dedicated 'dumb' AI to get you guys out of here."

With that, Black Widow and Tarantula exited the hangar and the wall closed behind them. Zaeed and Williams looked at each other, before they both pushed Tevos onto the dropship, and closed the ramp behind them. They both buckled in as the 'dumb' AI activated the dropship, and opened up the hangar doors. As the Osprey flew out, its stealth systems activated to keep it from being shot down. Zaeed and Williams watched as the facility shook from explosions as Black Widow's dead man switch activated, before it crumbled under the stress.

When the two got to Station Donovan they were welcomed like heroes, but both of them knew who the real heroes were.

* * *

A.N.: Sorry this chapter took so long. My power kept going out, and because I'm not one to save until I'm completely finished, I had to keep restarting. I meant to post this on Wednesday, when I turned twenty-five and the seven-year anniversary since I started dating my fiancee. Anyway, this chapter may I have some issues since I kind of lost motivation for this chapter after the third time I had to restart. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

* * *

_"There's two things that I absolutely hate about this war. The massive loss of life that is inevitable with the size of both sides. And the question that soldiers constantly ask themselves. 'What are we fighting for?' This war was originally about the Alliance staying intact as Tevos and her Inner Circle, with the massive force they command, tried to wipe us off the galactic map and we went on the counterattack, targeting their leadership while planet hopping. But with the Flood, it's now completely different. We're trying to keep all life from being extinct, but the Flood had years to prepare for war. It seems like we're fighting a two-way war, much like our ancestors as they fought against the Forerunners and the Flood. If we're to defeat one, we'll have to defeat the other. But what will it take to defeat the Flood? Will it weaken us so much that the other enemy, with their leadership unknowingly being controlled by the Flood, be able to wipe us out? And they're not like the Forerunners. They will make our race go extinct if they get the chance."_

_-Prime Minster Gordon_


	36. Freelancer

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Freelancer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"We need a new initiative. With Detachment Alpha no longer operational, we need something that can do our dirty work without being associated with us. And we can't trust mercenaries too much, or eventually we'll get bit in the ass by them. Any suggestions?"_

_-Vice Admiral Margaret Orlenda Parangosky_

* * *

Maine sat at the bar of the Dark Man, a pub in New Belfast, a primarily Irish city. The former ONISAD operative stuck out like a sore thumb with his Hungarian accent, but that was the beauty of Carolina having him meet here. No one would ever consider him a spy since he stuck out, same with Carolina, who had a German accent. He downed his Bushmills whiskey when he heard Carolina's footsteps come up behind him, and signaled the bartender for two Bushmills, one for him and one for Carolina. When the whiskey came to them, something both of them had picked up on an assignment in New Belfast, Carolina began to speak.

"I got a message from Nichols."

Rear Admiral David Nichols was the new ONISAD commander, safely sitting behind his desk at Station Donovan. Maine felt lucky he had retired long before Nichols even had a chance of receiving a command. Ojeda just let them do their own thing, but he made sure that they knew who they took orders from. Even with his new position as Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Ojeda still made sure that ONISAD had what they needed.

"And?"

"We're going to Virmire. The STG's up to something, and they want us to check it out, and if its not good, take it out. Get a hold of York. I'll call Washington."

With that, the two Freelancers stood up, and left the bar. The bartender eyed the door, before going to make a call.

* * *

Maine was edgy as he walked through the streets of New Belfast to the cheap one-star hotel he had rented a room from. He could feel himself being watched, but he did nothing to give himself away. New Belfast had been a major hotspot during the Insurrection, and it was purely local fighters, making up a faction known as the NIRA, New Irish Republican Army. Maine had done several operations in New Belfast gong after the NIRA leadership. The former ONISAD operative continued walking to his hotel, not making any move to show that he knew he was being watched, although he mentally went through a checklist on what he would do if a situation developed. Luckily, he did reach his hotel before anything happened.

Maine stayed away from the window as he picked up his secure phone, and dialed in York's number, keeping watch on the door in case whoever was watching him tried to come after him.

York answered on the third ring, and asked, "Yes, Maine?"

Before Maine could answer, the weapons specialist heard gunfire in the background, and asked, "Are you busy?"

"Nah, I'm alright," but in the same sentence, York yelled, in a German dialect common on Baralet, "Move up on the right side, you fuckers! The convoy can't get through without those gunships getting taken out!"

Maine chuckled, and knowing that York could talk and fight at the same time, said, "Carolina got a job from our former employers. We're going to Virmire. I don't know when, but I'll call you whenever I know. Will you be ready?"

York, firing bursts from his M419 LMG at a gunship as it wreaked havoc on a group of mercs, said, "I'll be ready. My contract ends today. I'll talk to you when you call."

Hearing York hang up, Maine hung up on his own line and checking his watch, decided to take a quick nap. An instinct told him to sleep on the bed instead of the floor like he usually does, and as he got under the covers, he wondered why.

* * *

At two in the morning, six heavily armed men entered the hotel, where the night manager, who was sympathetic to the cause of the NIRA, pointed them to Maine's room. Now, the NIRA had years of constant warfare against police, conventional military, special operations, and ONISAD to gain a multitude of skills. Their suppressed submachine guns swept the halls as they moved towards Maine's, who was recognized by the bartender at the pub, an old NIRA soldier who still worked for the cause, room. When they reached the room, only two of the NIRA members were going to enter it, while the other four stayed out in the hall, just in case things didn't work like they should. Even the night manager was packing an old MA92 rifle if for some reason Maine managed to reach the lobby. As the two soldiers breached the room, their submachine guns spit rounds at the floor, where most special operators slept since they always presumed they had been compromised. But Maine wasn't there, and by the time they adjusted to hit the beds, he was already in action.

A suppressed shot from his M9E dropped the first gunman, and then three shots in a Mozambique Drill dropped the second gunman. Maine opened the drawer, and pulled out the M27S that he had put in it. He quickly put a hundred round clip in it, and put three seventy-two round magazines in his hoodie pocket. His M9E was put in his waistband, and a magazine was put in each jean pocket. A flashbang was in the drawer with the M27S, and knowing that there were gunmen out in the hall, Maine let it fly.

The 9-bang went off, blinding the four NIRA soldiers out in the hall. Maine rushed out, and looked left. He put a burst at one of the soldier's chest, the energy rounds cauterizing the wound. The second NIRA soldier on the left side of the hall was dropped with a burst to the head, and Maine turned, firing at the prone soldier on the right side before going for the one in a crouch. Within four seconds, all of the NIRA members in the hall had been dropped. Knowing that someone gave them his room, and judging from the darkness outside the window, Maine walked to the lobby, his goal to kill the night manager.

Unfortunately for the night manager, he missed his first shot, and Maine wasn't a former ONISAD operative for nothing.

* * *

Carolina was on the converted luxury yacht that was often used as the base of operations for the things she participated in when she called Washington. Unlike Maine, Carolina wasn't a pro when it came to PERSEC, but OPSEC was something she did better than all of her class at Langley. Her yacht had a signals jammer that kept the signals she sent out from being tapped, and so she did all of her business on it, unless she had to be groundside.

Washington answered on the second call, and asked, "Yes, Carolina?"

Carolina wasted no time in saying, "We got a job from our former employers. You up for it?"

Washington, who happened to be drinking a Bushmills whiskey, something he had acquired a taste for on the same mission that Maine and Carolina did, said, "Of course. I've just got to finish up this job. Hold a moment."

Carolina let a smirk cross her face as she heard the suppressed gunfire from Washington's favored M1922 pistol, and when he picked up the phone again, she asked, "What were you doing?"

"NIRA in New Dublin."

"Really? Me and Maine were both in New Belfast."

"Huh. So, when's the job?"

Carolina stifled the growl that threatened to escape when she thought of Nichols, and said, "I'm waiting on Nichols to tell me. You know how he is. He did tell me that the job is at Virmire to take out a STG facility."

Indeed, all forty-eight members of ONISAD Class #23 knew how Nichols was, since he had been their operational controller for two months before Florida almost killed him, and Ojeda had Nichols moved to another class. She idly wondered what happened to Florida, since they hadn't had contact for over three years.

Washington said, "Alright. Tell me when you know. I'll be ready."

With that, Washington and Carolina disconnected at the same time. Thirty minutes later, Carolina and her luxury yacht left the system.

* * *

Nichols sat in his office on Station Donovan, and sighed. He didn't like what he was about to do, but he had to do it. Picking up his secured phone, he dialed the number that he had hidden in a drawer on his desk.

When the other line picked up, he said, "I did what you asked. Are you going to let me go now?"

The Asari on the other end simply laughed, and said, "Oh, Mr. Nichols. We are just getting started with you. Just do everything we say, and we won't tell your wife what you did on Berestein in the Twenties."

As the other side closed the connection, Nichols cursed, and wrapped his hand around the M9E.

* * *

A.N.: Well, there we go. I've been wanting to include Freelancer from RVB in this, and now I found a way. And to those of you who wander if this story is ever going to start coming to a close, I've now got the general plot line finished. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed.

* * *

_"Why not get a class to pretend to be Freelancers, and only accept contracts from us?"_

_-Rear Admiral Serin Osman_

_"No, it'll be too suspicious. The Freelancer's a great idea, but they'll have to accept other contracts, not just ours. They'll just have to not accept contracts that are detrimental to the Alliance."_

_-Captain Neil Ojeda_

_"Ojeda, that's the first smart thing I've ever heard you say."_

_-Vice Admiral Margaret Orlenda Parangosky_


	37. Virmire

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Virmire

Disclaimer: I own nothing. ONISAD is used with permission from Andrithir.

* * *

_"What the hell are you doing here?"_

_-Carolina_

* * *

York stood in the modified luxury yacht that was serving as the base of operations for the four Freelancers that had been hired to take out the STG facility on Virmire. He listened to the briefing from Carolina, who was detailing the security layout, the amount of hostiles in the facility, and any other issues that could cause mission failure. An armored battalion was at an operations base three miles away from the STG facility, which was pretending to be a refinery. If the Freelancers didn't move fast, then it could get hairy when the battalion inevitably showed up. And seventeen ships of the line were holding position up in space. But if the four of them maintained stealth, then it wouldn't be a problem. Unlike they were shown in the vids, which were unknowingly based off of them, the forty-eight Freelancers had no issues with being stealthy.

Carolina finished with, "Unfortunately, three Spectres are inspecting the facility. We've all fought Spectres, and we know what to do. Any questions?"

There were none, and the four Freelancers boarded the Special Operations Hornet VTOL gunship, which had been modified with Anvil GH-72 rockets instead of the usual Manta V2s. The Anvils were designed to burrow a couple of feet before exploding, unlike the Mantas which detonated on impact, which would be useful to take out armor in case things got dicey, or to put a hole through the wall if they had to get out the fast way. Former Colonel Daniel Warrick and former Warrant Officer Five Michelle Harper would be piloting the Hornet, providing any support they needed.

Warrick said, "Carolina, Warrick. You guys ready?"

"Yep."

"Prepare for a bumpy ride, and I hope your suits work."

Since the Hornet wasn't designed for space operations, it would literally be dropping into the atmosphere of Virmire, and once they hit the cloud layer, Warrick would take control of the Hornet. As the doors opened, the four Freelancers checked to make sure their suits were good, and then gave the green light. With that, the Hornet left the hangar, which closed behind it, and began the descent. When the Hornet entered the atmosphere, the flames from the heat at the speed they were going licked at the Hornet and the Freelancers, but once the thrusters of the VTOL fired, it stopped as they slowed.

Warrick, with laughter in his voice, asked, "You guys alright back there?"

As Washington took off his helmet to puke, never one for this type of insertion, Carolina said, "We're good."

Warrick took them just outside of the facility's radar range, not wanting to take any more chances than necessary, before putting the VTOL in hover, and said, "Well, this is it. We'll hold for three hours, and then we'll leave unless you contact us. Good hunting, Freelancers."

The four Freelancers activated active camouflage, gave Warrick the green light, and set off to the facility, making sure to make as careful and slow movements as possible as they had to go through the field. While they were easy to take out, this significant of a concentration of STG operatives would make this mission difficult if the alarm was sounded. When they were a mile out from the facility, York, who was acting as their sniper for this mission since North was taken already, peeled off and broke into a house, leaving no traces that he was hiding out in the attic. If whoever lived there got back before he left, there would be nothing to make him think someone was in the house. The other three Freelancers continued moving forward, until they were right under a guard tower.

Carolina whispered, "York, take them out."

"Roger. Firing."

Two suppressed shots left his M122 SASR, the powerful rounds hitting the two Salarians with a wet smack. Luckily no one besides the Freelancers were in the area to hear the sound of round hitting flesh, and with the guard tower above them no longer worrying, the Freelancers quickly hopped the fence, their augmentations allowing them to easily bypass the ten foot wall.

Carolina said, "They're down. York, keep an eye out, and make sure the mines are in place in case we get compromised. They'll buy us a lot of time. Maine, Wash, let's go."

Green lights met her words, and the Freelancers activated their mission timers, giving them a half hour before the dead Salarians in the guard tower were discovered by a comms check. More than enough time for the Freelancers. As Carolina, Washington, and Maine moved towards the building that had been marked by an Element, ONISAD's advance recon units, before they arrived, York took out any Salarian agents that got close to discovering them.

* * *

Carolina, Washington, and Maine moved into the building fast, their submachine guns letting out quiet coughs as they spit out rounds at the surprised STG agents in the room. The last Salarian dropped before the alarm could be sounded, and the Freelancers moved into the building, wondering why it had been marked by the Element. In the next room, three Salarians stood at a terminal, typing on it and chattering excitedly. Their active camouflage hiding them, the three Freelancers decided to listen in.

Their translators, although a generation behind the one currently used by Section Three and ONISAD operators, was better than the ones in place by Tier Three forces, and slowed down the Salarian's sentences so they didn't have to piece together the fast talk, "Subject #21 has been successfully broken. The method which we used seems to be more effective than any other method. If the subjects show the same results when we do the same to them as we did to 21, then this may be a breakthrough which we can utilize."

The three Salarians didn't have a chance to say anything else as the Freelancers sneaked up on them, then wrapped energy garrotes around their throats. When the Salarian bodies were hidden, Carolina quickly checked the terminal to see if she could find any information about what the Salarians were doing. What she saw horrified her. The Salarians, under direction from the three Spectres, were conducting experiments into indoctrination like they had been doing on Virmire before. But now, the conditions were even worse. At least before the prisoners had some semblance of comfort.

As she plugged in a drive to download a virus into the system, Carolina whispered, "We're going to kill them all."

Maine, looking over her shoulder, said, "Damn right."

The three Freelancers, after the virus was downloaded and the drive unplugged, moved out of the room, scanning for targets. Surprisingly, they encountered no STG agents as they followed the map that Carolina had gotten off of the terminal. But it soon became clear why as they encountered someone that the three Freelancers thought they would never see again.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

York looked through his scope at the scene occurring in the building, shock filling his features. As he looked back through the scope again to confirm what he thought he saw, he found himself correct.

"Carolina, is that...is that Connie?"

* * *

Maine stood behind Carolina and to the right, his M27S pointed towards Connie as she stood in front of them, a BR95HB slung across her back. His finger was within the trigger guard, ready to fire at the first sign of motion from Connie, knowing that she was one of the fastest within their class, and could draw a pistol or her Battle Rifle and open fire. Her armor was on, and so he couldn't see her face, leaving him at a loss as to what she would do until she acted.

* * *

Washington had moved back at the appearance of Connie, his gut instincts telling him that something bad was about to happen. Connie seemed focused on Carolina, making him subtly look around the area, trying to find the eyes on him that gave him the chills. When he found the three pairs of glowing red eyes in the shadows, he tensed, and instantly regretted it as his VISR turned on, and revealing that the three unknowns were gripping assault rifles and had shotguns slung over their backs. Subtly resting his left hand near the M9E that was magnetized to his leg, he gripped his M27S with his right hand, prepared for the moment that everything came to a head.

* * *

Carolina watched inside her helmet as her motion tracker lit up with three red dots in the corner of the room, but knowing that Washington, Maine, and York were watching, she kept her eyes on Connie, ready to react or act if she had to. As the stare down continued, Carolina got a feeling that something was about to happen soon. She wasn't disappointed.

As gunfire erupted from STG snipers positioned on the upper walkways, their ATCs keeping them from showing up on York's thermal sight and the Freelancers' motion trackers, Connie and the three Spectres erupted into action. With York taking care of the STG snipers, and Carolina engaging Connie, the three Spectres were going up against Washington and Maine. And the Spectres weren't feared throughout Council space for nothing.

As Connie launched herself at Carolina, the blue armored woman drew her Humbler stun device, and as Connie slammed into the rod, going into a backwards roll as she drew her own stun device, the melee fight began. Carolina charged, her stun device swinging at Connie's legs, and her left arm taking the hit from Connie's stun device before Connie had to move to avoid Carolina's attack. As the two Freelancers stared each other down, both of them knowing that they were evenly matched, the other three Freelancers were doing their own things.

Washington and Maine were both engaging the three Spectres, each combatant using anything and everything trying to get ahead. As a Spectre swung an omni-blade at him, Washington drew his M9E and fired three times, each round hitting off a reverse engineered energy shield, before he was forced to back away as a sniper on the upper floor fired at him. Maine was fighting hand-to-hand against the other two Spectres, energy sword flashing as he engaged them. York, up in his attic, was engaging the STG snipers, his flash suppressor keeping him hidden as the snipers searched for muzzle flashes. As the snipers dropped under his very accurate fire, the heavy rounds punching right through the walls and hitting flesh with the assistance of his thermal scope since the snipers had exited Cloak. With the snipers being dropped, the three Freelancers under duress had one less problem to worry about. And it showed.

Without a sniper keeping him from killing his Spectre, Washington focused his attention on the Spectre trying to kill him with the omni-blade, putting distance between them and taking the time to shoot before the Spectre closed the distance. Realizing what Washington was doing, the Spectre tried his best to stay close to Wash, but he wasn't a former ONISAD operative for nothing. As the blade came in again, Wash tackled the Spectre and emptied the rest of the fifteen-round clip into the Spectre's head, overloading the shielding and putting three rounds in the Turian's head. With his target down, Wash turned to help Maine, only to find he didn't need to help the behemoth.

Maine, his energy sword in one hand, and a M9E in the other, was busy fighting off one Spectre while keeping the other back with well-placed shots from the pistol. As the Spectre busy trying to kill the Freelancer with his omni-blade rushed in again, Maine shifted, his pistol putting a round in each of the Spectre's knee caps, dropping him just within kicking range, which the Freelancer took full advantage of. As his foot slammed into the side of the Spectre's head, Maine's pistol raised, and the clip emptied at the second Spectre, overloading the shields, with a headshot dropping the Batarian. Putting energy cuffs, which burned the skin every time you moved your wrists or hands, on the first Spectre, a Salarian, Maine turned his attention to Carolina's fight against Connie, which was still going on. With the other three Freelancers not in the fight without a shot, all they could do was watch.

Carolina let go of her stun device, in such a way to make it seem like she was attacking with it. Connie bit the bait, and swung, breaking the stun device in half, and realizing her mistake only when it was too late. The blue armored fist slammed into Connie's helmet, knocking her off balance as she staggered away from Carolina, and opening herself up to the other Freelancers. But Connie was fast, and the Battle Rifle appeared in her hands as she realized what was about to happen. Aiming for lethal shots, she forced Wash and Maine into cover, who were both trying to take the Freelancer alive. Satisfied that her shielding and armor would withstand any shots coming from those two, unaware of York in the attic of a house, she turned her attention to Carolina, who had her M9E in hand. As Connie let off a burst, and Carolina fired two rounds, York made his move.

The heavy round slammed through the wall, and struck Connie in the arm. Her shield failed, and her arm exploded in a shower of blood, right at the shoulder. When the Freelancers looked, it was hanging limply at her side, only connected by a few sinews. Connie, despite the shock settling in, was the first to react, immediately ditching her Battle Rifle and drawing her M11C. The pistol pointed directly at Carolina's head, the Freelancer put three rounds downrange before turning and running, shooting behind her to keep Wash and Maine from firing shots. As Carolina fell to the floor, Carolina escaped out of the room, an automatic door closing behind her as rounds from Wash and Maine splashed harmlessly against it, leaving scorch marks.

As Maine and Wash ran to check on her, York, who could tell that her suit had frozen itself to keep Carolina alive, yelled, "Wash, Maine! Stay with her! I'm going after Connie!"

Putting his M122 on his back, York grabbed his M9E and began chasing after Connie, the drone in the air that had been deployed from the Hornet tracking her. Seeing where she was going, the Freelancer began to try and intercept her, taking shortcuts. In only minutes, the two Freelancers would meet.

* * *

Connie breathed heavily as she sprinted down the halls of the building, heading towards the shuttle that would get her out of this place. With her pistol out, searching for Wash or Maine in case they somehow got ahead of her, she quickly moved, ignoring the STG agents that were dead on the floor, killed by herself and the three Spectres to keep the fact that it was all a trap just to eliminate some of her fellow Freelancers a secret. As she reached the final door before she left the building and had a straight two hundred meter dash to the landing pad, she was so elated to finally almost escaping, that she didn't notice the blip on her motion tracker. So it's understandable that she made a mistake. But in war, you often don't get to make a second mistake.

As the door closed behind her, Connie felt like she got hit by a semi as York tackled her to the ground, and as she ended up under him, his fist slammed into her helmet. Crying out in a panic, she tried to bring up her M11C, but York quickly knocked it away as he gripped his pistol by the barrel and slammed the grip into her helmet. As the HUD flickered, Connie tried to get out of her position, but as York brought the pistol down on her head a second time, she failed. Under the onslaught, it didn't take long for her visor to crack, allowing York to see her face. As York stood up, leaving her panting lying on the ground, he brought his pistol up, barrel aimed at her.

When his finger began to tighten, Connie yelled, "Stop! I'll surrender! Anything!"

York's reply was his Humbler stun device hitting her in the face, releasing a high voltage of electricity into her brain for a second until she passed out.

The Freelancer looked at his former comrade lying unconscious on the ground, before he spit on the ground, and said, "You're lucky that you have intel that might interest our superiors."

* * *

On the converted luxury yacht, York sat next to Carolina as she laid in a coma on one of the beds of the infirmary. His hands were holding his head up, lost in his thoughts, but not enough to not notice Wash when he walked in.

Sitting down in the chair next to him, Wash asked, "How's she doing?"

York sighed, and said, "She's physically fine. But her suit had locked down around her after Connie shot her, and although it saved her life, it put her in a coma. Harper doesn't know if she'll come out or not."

Harper was the only one with this type of medical experience, having worked as a doctor at a hospital on Eridanus II during the early years of the Insurrection before she enlisted.

Wash said, "I'm sure she'll come out of it fine. She always does. By the way, I've contacted Ojeda. He wants us to meet with Florida, Georgia, and the Dakotas, where they'll take Connie from us."

York nodded, and said, "Good. I don't know if I would be able to resist shooting her."

The two sat in silence for a minute, before Wash said, 'Come on. You need some rest."

"I'll just sleep here. Thanks."

An hour later, Maine carried the sleeping York to the bed next to Carolina's before leaving the room, knowing that both Freelancers were under Harper's watchful eye.

* * *

A.N.: All done! Hope you guys enjoyed.

On a note not dealing with this story, any of you guys pumped for Battlefield 4?

* * *

_"Rannoch Control, this is the ASC Infinity. Oh shit."_

_-Rear Admiral Thomas Lasky_


	38. Author's Note

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Author's Note

* * *

Sorry for this not being a chapter, but I'm having issues with figuring out how I want to continue this story. I had it all worked out, but then as I was replaying the ME series, some other ideas came to me, and now I can't decide which one to use. So I'm going to put this story on pause, for a couple of weeks while I work on another story. Hopefully at the point I'll have figured out what I'm going to do. If not, I'll put it to a vote.


	39. Investigation

On the Brink (Rewrite)

Investigation

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a copy of each Halo and Mass Effect game, along with all DLCs. ONISAD used with permission of Andrithir.

* * *

_"There's been a coup."_

* * *

Vice Admiral Neil Ojeda sat at his desk, going over the paperwork that his secretary, Amanda White, had given to him when he walked into his office this morning. Several of them were requests for an ONISAD team or more people to work on an operation. one of them was a request for more funding in getting better equipment for operators. Ojeda, who looked after the paramilitary operators like someone who was a former para should, carefully reviewed the request and what they were working on, upgrading the urban warfare armor used by operators, before he signed off on it. Putting the things that needed to go in the outbox in their place, Ojeda checked the time.

Seeing that he had a half hour before the meeting with the department heads, he brought up the login page for ONI's internal network. After he was logged in, he navigated the network with strategic uses of keywords and clicking, until he got to the hidden server for ONISAD operators and those with the clearance to observe their missions. Searching through the server, he found the footage he was looking for, and since being cautious had served him well, he did a sweep for bugs while making sure his door was securely locked and soundproofed. Once he was done, he started the footage and settled in to watch.

Immediately, he was in the eyes of an ONISAD team as they ran an operation alongside Turian resistance forces based out of Palaven. The ONISAD team was from Class #316, meaning they had plenty of experience, making it odd that they were all killed. As he watched them and the resistance members, led by some Turian named Flavus Vakarian, an ancient Turian who still carried himself like a soldier, take out a refinery, he took notes with the eye of an operator.

When the first operative, Loyola, dropped, Ojeda froze the footage. He rewound the footage, by milliseconds, until he saw it. A blue line striking Loyola's head. Watching through the footage, he saw every operative die from the same weapon, and judging from the bullet placement, the same sniper, while the resistance members, except for three, died the same way. Vakarian and two others managed to exfil, and escape.

As the footage ended, Ojeda leaned back in his seat, considering what he saw. A single sniper, with the skill to drop three operatives without them figuring out what was wrong. And that meant the Spectres were getting back into the fight.

An alert was sent to the 2IC of ONISAD, Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Shroud, and the head of Section Three, Brigadier General Mason Warren. All ONISAD and S3 teams would be on the lookout for Spectres.

* * *

At the meeting, Ojeda listened to the various department heads as they tried to get in his good graces so they could get funding. While they all held his attention, only one actually deserved the funding. And that was Brigadier General Mason Warren, the head of S3, the operations department of ONI. As the meeting came to a close, with each department getting at least some funds allocated to their projects, like Section Zero getting funds to hire agents investigating Cerberus, which had recently gone dark, or Section Two getting funds to buy some weaponry used by the Turians, for a war movie that was going to show how the Alliance was soundly defeating the Council. Section One didn't need ask for any more funding, just asking permission to release information on the war, like the recent victory at Raufouss, where a thirty-ship fleet defeated a Council fleet thrice their size with the help of Gray Team and Fireteam Mountain. After the meeting was over, Warren stayed behind.

Ojeda and Warren had roomed at West Point on Earth together, and when they met again in the Rangers, their friendship had come back strong. Their careers were almost identical, with both of them going through Airborne, Rangers and ONI, although Ojeda did a stint with Sub Group 3 before being approached by ONISAD, while Warren was approached by Section Three during his time with the Rangers.

Warren, not one to beat around the bush, asked, "What's up?"

Ojeda had requested Warren to stay after the meeting to get some balls rolling. ONISAD, often used as the Director of Naval Intelligence's own personal black ops group, had its hands full, and Ojeda didn't want to involve anyone outside of ONI or ECHELON. And ECHELON was busy with the revolution going on inside its own boarders.

The DNI said, "I was watching footage of an ONISAD team K.I.A. A single sniper with one of ours took out the entire team during the battle. I've got it confirmed to be a SRS-103. And the sniper took several minutes between each shot, as if he wasn't worrying about his comrades dying, so it's probable he might be a Spectre. Take a look."

Warren accepted the datapad, taking several minutes to review the footage. When finished, the department Head sighed and handed back the datapad.

Mason said, "Definitely a Spectre, not caring about his fellows. And the energy weapon. If it's a SRS like you said, then we've got a leak. Do you have any idea who's supplying them?"

"No. That's why I got you to stay after. We're going to need to start one, and I don't trust anyone else."

Warren stayed silent for a minute, before he said, "I think I know what to do."

* * *

In the ready room for the Spartans on the _Chares_, a Stealth Frigate that was home to three Spartan Fireteams as it waited for orders, Austin Hunt looked at the intel coming in from the friends he had in Cerberus. Like Panther of Wolfpack and Gremlin of Atlas, Hunt was a respected operative within Cerberus, and carried influence within the black ops organization. Using this influence, at the request of an old friend, he did a little digging into what Cerberus was doing. And it didn't look good.

Osman hadn't been seen for over two weeks, and Blackbird was no longer the team standing guard outside of her office. Atlas and Wolfpack weren't seen or heard from. It all added up with the procedure that was supposed to take place once Cerberus was up and running. But the fact that he didn't get that order, and that almost all of the originals were still alive, it didn't make sense. And the other things that were going on, made it even worse.

Stockpiles of high-grade weapons, ranging from the M9E to the M122 SASR, were being depleted as shipments went out. And the experiments, they were so bad that even Austin shuddered at reading them. NEMESIS, PHANTOM. Just hearing the words got shivers down his spine.

Sending off a quick message to Ojeda, Austin closed the browsers he was using as he heard the armored footsteps of a S-IV approaching the door. As it opened, Austin turned to see Shepard in her GENV armor, her helmet the only piece of armor that wasn't on. She looked at him for a minute, before she sat down next to him, the chair protesting slightly.

The Commander said, "We've got orders, directly from Hood. The Citadel's gone dark."

* * *

A.N.: So, a shady Cerberus and a dark Citadel. I've got two choices here. Should I focus on Cerberus? Or should I focus on the Citadel? Your choice. I'll have a poll up. There's only a week to decide.

* * *

_"What the fuck?"_


End file.
